escargot

/%EskAr"goU/

Other forms: escargots

Escargot is what you call a snail when you're planning on eating it. Traditional French restaurants often include escargot on the menu.

The idea of eating snails might make you feel a little queasy, but the dish would probably surprise you: escargot is typically cooked in a rich, garlicky butter sauce, and it's delicious. The snails used for escargot are particularly large, and the dish is generally served as an appetizer. Escargot is the French word for "snail," from the Latin conchylium, "edible shellfish."

Definitions of escargot

1. noun

   edible terrestrial snail usually served in the shell with a sauce of melted butter and garlic
   synonyms: snail

   type of:

   meat

   the flesh of animals (including fishes and birds and snails) used as food