gastropod

noun

gas·​tro·​pod ˈga-strə-ˌpäd 

: any of a large class (Gastropoda) of mollusks (such as snails and slugs) usually with a univalve shell or none and a distinct head bearing sensory organs

gastropod adjective

Examples of gastropod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The problem is due in part to the gastropod’s low population, but also to infertility and lethargy caused by warming waters. —Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024

Efforts to release the gastropods back into their native habitat started in earnest in 2015, and have continued ever since; in April 2023, for example, the team released more than 5,000 snails on the French Polynesian islands of Tahiti and Mo’orea. —Darren Incorvaia, New York Times, 28 May 2024

Determined to find a potential solution, roboticists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong looked to shelled gastropods for their design cues. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 8 May 2024

This can happen if the gastropods eat the rat poop or if the ravenous larvae just bore into their soft bodies. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 22 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Gastropoda, class name

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

gastropod

noun

gas·​tro·​pod ˈgas-trə-ˌpäd 

: any of a large class of mollusks (as snails) that have a muscular foot at the bottom and usually both a distinct head bearing sense organs and a spiral shell into which the body can be withdrawn

gastropod adjective