Where does “limpet” come from?

Limpet comes from Middle English lempet, from Old English lempedu, from Medieval Latin lampreda, from Late Latin lampetra, ultimately from Latin petra meaning "stone" and Ancient Greek πέτρα, derived from Proto-Indo-European leh₂b-.

limpet (English): A small mollusc, of the family Patellidae with a...

Definitions

  1. A small mollusc, of the family Patellidae with a...

Ancestry of “limpet”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlempet—
2Old Englishlempedulamprey
3Medieval Latinlampreda—
4Late Latinlampetralamprey
5Latinlamberethird-person plural perfect active indicative of...
6LatinlamboI lick, lap; I taste
7Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₂b-to hang loosely; to lap, lick

Words derived from “limpet”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European leh₂b- →Every word from Latin lambo →Every word from Latin lambere →