snail
n. countablen. a small animal with a soft body and a hard shell on its back. It moves very slowly and leaves a wet trail behind it.
n. a gastropod mollusc characterized by a spiral shell and a slow, gliding movement. Often used metaphorically to describe a person or process that lacks speed.
A small snail is crawling across the garden path.
After the heavy rain, dozens of snails appeared on the damp leaves in the backyard.
The biologist observed how the snail retracted into its calcified shell at the first sign of a predatory threat, demonstrating a classic defensive mechanism.
From Middle English snayl, snail, from the Old English sneġel, from Proto-Germanic *snagilaz. Cognate with Low German Snagel, Snâel, Snâl (“snail”), German Schnegel (“slug”). Compare also Old Norse snigill, from Proto-Germanic *snigilaz.
Commonly used in the phrase 'at a snail's pace' to describe very slow progress.