Columbella
/ˌkɒl.əmˈbɛl.ə/noun
A small sea snail of the family Columbellidae, often called dove shells.
Did you know?Columbella comes from Latin *columbella*, a diminutive of *columba* “dove,” so the name literally means “little dove,” a classic example of how scientific names preserve ancient imagery.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
columbella
“little dove”
Late Latin
Latin
columbella
“a small dove; later used as a shell name”
18th Century
New Latin
Columbella
“a genus name for certain small marine snails”
Modern English
English
columbella
“a small sea snail of the genus Columbella”
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