A snail is a small, soft-bodied animal that carries a hard, spiral shell on its back wherever it goes. The shell protects the snail's delicate body from predators and harsh weather. If danger approaches, a snail can pull itself completely inside its shell and wait until it's safe to emerge.

Snails move by gliding along on a single muscular “foot” that secretes slippery mucus, leaving a silvery trail behind them. This slime helps them slide smoothly over rough surfaces, even upside down on leaves or up walls. They move so slowly that we use “at a snail's pace” to describe anything extremely slow.

You'll find snails in gardens, forests, and even oceans (where sea snails live underwater). Garden snails eat plants using thousands of tiny teeth arranged on a tongue-like ribbon. Some people consider them pests because they munch on vegetables and flowers, while others keep them as unusual pets.

The word can also describe someone who moves very slowly or takes forever to get ready. If your brother takes an hour to put on his shoes, you might say he moves like a snail. In French cooking, escargot (the French word for snail) is considered a delicacy, though that might sound strange if you're used to seeing snails in your backyard!