Snails

/sneɪlz/ noun

Definition

Slow-moving animals with soft bodies and hard spiral shells on their backs, found in gardens and water.

Etymology

From Old English 'snægel' or 'snail,' possibly related to words meaning 'snake' because of their similar movement. Some linguists connect it to Proto-Germanic roots related to slime or mucus.

Kelly Says

Snails have been eating human crops for 9,000 years, and so many cultures independently invented salt to stop them—it became so universal that 'salty' language means something sharp and cutting, possibly because salt 'cuts' slugs.

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