# limpet

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈlɪm.pɪt/ · frequency rank #70,832

## Definitions
1. Any of various gastropods with a conical shell shape patelliform and a strong, muscular foot that they use to create strong suction to cling onto rocks or other hard surfaces.
2. Someone clingy or dependent; someone disregarding or ignorant of another's personal space.

## Etymology
From Middle English lempet, from Old English lempedu (“lamprey”), borrowed from Medieval Latin lampreda, alteration of Late Latin lampetra (“lamprey”), whose further origin is unknown, though is traditionally thought to derive from lambō (“I lick, lap”) + petra (“stone, rock”). Doublet of lamprey, which came through Old French.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/limpet