different between snail vs smail

English

Etymology

From the Middle English snaile, snayle, from the Old English sne?el, from Proto-Germanic *snagilaz. Cognate with Low German Snagel,Snâel, Snâl (“snail”), German Schnegel (“slug”). Compare also Old Norse snigill, from Proto-Germanic *snigilaz.

Pronunciation

• enPR: sn?l
• IPA^(key): /sne?l/, [sn?e???]
• Rhymes: -e?l

Noun

snail (plural snails)

1. Any of very many animals (either hermaphroditic or nonhermaphroditic), of the class Gastropoda, having a coiled shell.
2. (informal, by extension) A slow person; a sluggard.
3. (engineering) A spiral cam, or a flat piece of metal of spirally curved outline, used for giving motion to, or changing the position of, another part, as the hammer tail of a striking clock.
4. (military, historical) A tortoise or testudo; a movable roof or shed to protect besiegers.
5. The pod of the snail clover.

Synonyms

• dodman, hodmandod (East Anglia, dialectal)

Derived terms

• snail trefoil (Medicago scutellata)
• snail mail
• snail's pace

Translations

See also

• heliciculture
• slug

Verb

snail (third-person singular simple present snails, present participle snailing, simple past and past participle snailed)

1. To move or travel very slowly.

Anagrams

• Lains, Lians, Nilas, Sinla, anils, lains, nails, nilas, salin, slain

English

Etymology

From snail mail, patterned on email.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /??s.me?l/, /sme?l/

Noun

smail (uncountable)

1. (Internet, dated) Conventional postal mail; snail mail.
   • 1997 November 18, “SteveH1491” (username), “Trick Int'l smail address?”, in alt.music.cheap-trick, Usenet.
   • 2000 August 5, “Robin” (username), “Re: Letter from india”, in uk.politics.misc and other newsgroups, Usenet:

     On a similar note just imagine if we could persuade companies that sending junk smail is hugely ineffective. All those people, using all that paper, printers, ink, postmen etc etc.

   • 2002 July 15, “Thor” (username), “Looking for Maisto On Track Diescast Trains”, in rec.models.railroad, Usenet:

     If anyone knows a smail order or internet vendor who carries them, please let me know ¶

Verb

smail (third-person singular simple present smails, present participle smailing, simple past and past participle smailed)

1. (Internet, dated) To send by postal mail.

Anagrams

• Islam, Salim, Simla, alims, limas, mails, malis, misal, salmi, simal