3. (Zo["o]l.) 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. 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.
Patella vulgata n : marine limpet [syn: {common limpet}]