'Patella vulgata' definitions:

Definition of 'Patella vulgata'

noun

Marine limpet [syn: common limpet, Patella vulgata]

From: GCIDE

Limpet \Lim"pet\ (l[i^]m"p[e^]t), n. [Prob. through French fr. L. lepas, -adis, Gr. lepa`s, -a`dos.] (Zool.)
1. In a general sense, any hatshaped, or conical, gastropod shell. [1913 Webster]
2. Any one of many species of marine shellfish of the order Docoglossa, mostly found adhering to rocks, between tides. [1913 Webster]
Note: The common European limpets of the genus Patella (esp. Patella vulgata) are extensively used as food. The common New England species is {Acm[ae]a testudinalis}. Numerous species of limpets occur on the Pacific coast of America, some of them of large size. [1913 Webster]
3. Hence: Somthing or someone that clings tenaciously to another object or person; specifically a military explosive device having magnets allowing it to cling to a metallic target object, such as the hull of a ship. [PJC]
3. Any species of Siphonaria, a genus of limpet-shaped Pulmonifera, living between tides, on rocks. [1913 Webster]
4. A keyhole limpet. See Fissurella. [1913 Webster]

From: GCIDE

Patella \Pa*tel"la\, n.; pl. Patell[ae]. [L., a small pan, the kneepan, dim. of patina, patena, a pan, dish.]
1. A small dish, pan, or vase. [1913 Webster]
2. (Anat.) The kneecap; the kneepan; the cap of the knee. [1913 Webster]
3. (Zool.) A genus of marine gastropods, including many species of limpets. The shell has the form of a flattened cone. The common European limpet (Patella vulgata) is largely used for food. [1913 Webster]
4. (Bot.) A kind of apothecium in lichens, which is orbicular, flat, and sessile, and has a special rim not a part of the thallus. [1913 Webster]