Caracol

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A marine or terrestrial mollusk with a distinctive coiled shell and a soft body, often found in wet habitats; A spiraling form commonly seen in biology, signifying growth or configuration; A regional name for the edible snail, prized in various cuisines and as a gourmet treat
2. A small mollusk possessing a coiled shell and inhabiting marine or land environments ; a twisted or coiling pattern found naturally in plants or shells ; a type of snail consumed as food in some regional dishes
3. A creature characterized by a soft body enclosed in a spiraled external shell found in moist areas ; the form that curls in a circular or helical manner ; a snail species that is considered a delicacy in certain cultures

Etymology: Spiral shells gave this family of words its shape. The French "caracole" literally meant "snail's shell," and from that coil English took a term for a horse's manoeuvre: a caracole is a half-turn or wheel a rider makes on horseback, the horse curling round much as a snail's shell spirals. The spelling "caracol" is an alternative form of that same word, so the edible land snail and the horseman's turn share one ancestry of twisting shape. The snail sense is the older image, and the cavalry sense grew out of it.