Escargot: meaning, definitions and examples

Primarily used in the context of French cuisine, usually referring to a delicacy made from cooked land snails. It's more likely to be seen on a restaurant menu.

• We dined on escargot at the French bistro last night.
• The escargot was served with garlic butter and herbs.

Used to refer to the common garden snails or land snails, which can be found in nature or gardens. It can sometimes have a negative connotation due to their association with pests.

• The garden is full of snails after the rain.
• Snails can be a problem for garden plants.

Used as a general term for aquatic animals with shells, including crabs, lobsters, and oysters. While snails technically aren't shellfish, in casual speech, people sometimes group them together with other seafood.

• I'm allergic to shellfish, so I can't have shrimp or crab.
• The restaurant offers a variety of shellfish like clams and mussels.

Used primarily in culinary contexts to refer to snails prepared as food, usually in French cuisine.

• We ordered escargot as an appetizer at the fancy restaurant.
• The chef prepared the escargot with garlic butter and herbs.

Commonly used in everyday language to describe the small, slow-moving creatures with shells, often found in gardens and damp places.

• I found a snail crawling on the sidewalk after the rain.
• Snails can be a pest in the garden, eating leaves and plants.

Often used in scientific or academic contexts to refer to a large group of invertebrates, including snails, clams, and octopuses.

• Mollusks have soft bodies and usually live in water or damp environments.
• Biologists study mollusks to understand their role in the ecosystem.