lumaca
/luˈma.ka/feminine
The Italian word for snail is lumaca. Wiktionary also lists chiocciola.
Meaning: any animal of the class Gastropoda having a shell (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| lumaca | /luˈma.ka/ | feminine |
| chiocciola | /ˈkjɔt.t͡ʃo.la/ | feminine |
Both lumaca and chiocciola are used to refer to any animal of the class Gastropoda that has a shell. lumaca may specifically refer to land snails.
Which one should you use?
chiocciola and lumaca are both feminine nouns used for snails. If you want to refer specifically to a slug, which is a snail without a shell, you should use the word limaccia.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both chiocciola and lumaca are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word lumaca is pronounced /luˈma.ka/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use lumaca if you are specifically referring to a slug. Instead, use limaccia.
Did you know?
- In modern Italian, the word chiocciola is the standard term for the '@' symbol used in email addresses.
- The word chiocciola is linked to the Latin cochlea, which is the same root used in English for a 'cochlea' in the inner ear.
- The word chiocciola is also used in Italian to describe a spiral shape in architecture or design, such as a 'spiral staircase' called scala a chiocciola.
Examples in context
- La lumaca ritrae le sue antenne.The snail draws in its feelers.This sentence demonstrates the action of a snail drawing in its feelers using lumaca.Tatoeba #3255477 by Guybrush88, translation #1593719 by trieuho
- Sono una lumaca, e le lumache non sono mai di fretta.I am a snail and snails are never in a hurry.This sentence uses lumaca both to identify a single snail and to describe snails in general.Tatoeba #3205461 by Guybrush88, translation #2732933 by Hybrid
- a passo di lumacaAt a snail's paceThis idiom uses lumaca to describe something moving very slowly, functioning exactly like the English 'at a snail's pace'.
- Ho trovato una bella chiocciola nel giardino.I found a beautiful snail in the garden.
- L'insetticida potrebbe danneggiare le lumache.The insecticide might harm the snails.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Sofia are looking at the plants in their garden.
- LorenzoSofia, guarda questa lumaca.Sofia, look at this snail.
- SofiaOh, è bellissima, Lorenzo.Oh, it is beautiful, Lorenzo.
- LorenzoSì, è proprio una lumaca carina.Yes, it is a cute snail.
- SofiaSpero che non mangi le foglie.I hope it doesn't eat the leaves.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “snail” translations and entries lumaca, chiocciola, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
