from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Patella \Pa*tel"la\, n.; pl. {Patell[ae]}. [L., a small pan, the
kneepan, dim. of patina, patena, a pan, dish.]
1. A small dish, pan, or vase.
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2. (Anat.) The kneecap; the kneepan; the cap of the knee.
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3. (Zool.) A genus of marine gastropods, including many
species of limpets. The shell has the form of a flattened
cone. The common European limpet ({Patella vulgata}) is
largely used for food.
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4. (Bot.) A kind of apothecium in lichens, which is
orbicular, flat, and sessile, and has a special rim not a
part of the thallus.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Limpet \Lim"pet\ (l[i^]m"p[e^]t), n. [Prob. through French fr.
L. lepas, -adis, Gr. lepa`s, -a`dos.] (Zool.)
1. In a general sense, any hatshaped, or conical, gastropod
shell.
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2. Any one of many species of marine shellfish of the order
{Docoglossa}, mostly found adhering to rocks, between
tides.
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Note: The common European limpets of the genus {Patella}
(esp. {Patella vulgata}) are extensively used as food.
The common New England species is {Acm[ae]a
testudinalis}. Numerous species of limpets occur on the
Pacific coast of America, some of them of large size.
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3. Hence: Somthing or someone that clings tenaciously to
another object or person; specifically a military
explosive device having magnets allowing it to cling to a
metallic target object, such as the hull of a ship.
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3. Any species of {Siphonaria}, a genus of limpet-shaped
Pulmonifera, living between tides, on rocks.
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4. A keyhole limpet. See {Fissurella}.
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