slug

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slug

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

slug name for a terrestrial gastropod mollusk in which the characteristic molluscan shell is reduced to a thin plate embedded in the tissues. Like the terrestrial snails of the same order, slugs have a distinct head with a mouth, tentacles bearing eyes, and a lung for breathing air. They move on a muscular foot over a trail of slime which they secrete. Certain species, such as Limax maximus, have become serious pests in gardens and truck farms, particularly in the W United States. Gliding out to feed at night, they devour both the roots and aerial portions of plants with their rasplike radula. Terrestrial slugs are classified in the phylum Mollusca , class Gastropoda, order Stylommatophora.

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slug

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

slug2 irregularly shaped bullet XVII; (typogr.) metal bar, line of type XIX. perh. identical with prec.

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T. F. HOAD. "slug." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 20 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "slug." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (December 20, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-slug1.html

T. F. HOAD. "slug." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved December 20, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-slug1.html

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