snail borer

1 definition found

snail borer - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Snail \Snail\ (sn[=a]l), n. [OE. snaile, AS. sn[ae]gel, snegel,
     sn[ae]gl; akin to G. schnecke, OHG. snecko, Dan. snegl, Icel.
     snigill.]
     1. (Zool.)
        (a) Any one of numerous species of terrestrial
            air-breathing gastropods belonging to the genus Helix
            and many allied genera of the family Helicidae. They
            are abundant in nearly all parts of the world except
            the arctic regions, and feed almost entirely on
            vegetation; a land snail.
        (b) Any gastropod having a general resemblance to the true
            snails, including fresh-water and marine species. See
            Pond snail, under Pond, and Sea snail.
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     2. Hence, a drone; a slow-moving person or thing.
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     3. (Mech.) A spiral cam, or a flat piece of metal of spirally
        curved outline, used for giving motion to, or changing the
        position of, another part, as the hammer tail of a
        striking clock.
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     4. A tortoise; in ancient warfare, a movable roof or shed to
        protect besiegers; a testudo. [Obs.]
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              They had also all manner of gynes [engines] . . .
              that needful is [in] taking or sieging of castle or
              of city, as snails, that was naught else but hollow
              pavises and targets, under the which men, when they
              fought, were heled [protected], . . . as the snail
              is in his house; therefore they cleped them snails.
                                                    --Vegetius
                                                    (Trans.).
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     5. (Bot.) The pod of the sanil clover.
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     Ear snail, Edible snail, Pond snail, etc. See under
        Ear, Edible, etc.
  
     Snail borer (Zool.), a boring univalve mollusk; a drill.
  
     Snail clover (Bot.), a cloverlike plant (Medicago  scuttellata
        , also, Medicago Helix); -- so named from
        its pods, which resemble the shells of snails; -- called
        also snail trefoil, snail medic, and beehive.
  
     Snail flower (Bot.), a leguminous plant (Phaseolus  Caracalla
        ) having the keel of the carolla spirally coiled
        like a snail shell.
  
     Snail shell (Zool.), the shell of snail.
  
     Snail trefoil. (Bot.) See Snail clover, above.
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