ecdysis

American  

[ek-duh-sis] / ˈɛk də sɪs /

noun

plural

ecdyses

1. the shedding or casting off of an outer coat or integument by snakes, crustaceans, etc.

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ecdysis British  

/ ˈɛkdɪsɪs /

noun

1. the periodic shedding of the cuticle in insects and other arthropods or the outer epidermal layer in reptiles See also ecdysone

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Other Word Forms

• ecdysial
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ecdysis

1850–55; < New Latin < Greek ékdysis a getting out, equivalent to ek- ec- + dý ( ein ) to enter + -sis -sis

Example Sentences

Jonathan Lundgren of the Ecdysis Foundation, for example, is aiming to tally outcomes on 1,000 farms — from conventional to organic to regenerative — over the next 10 years.

From Salon • Aug. 30, 2022

Ecdysis is the process of molting, when an insect sheds its skin and transforms, a period of great promise and vulnerability.

From Washington Post • Mar. 2, 2016

Ecdysis, ek′di-sis, n. the act of casting off an integument, as in serpents.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

Ecdysis: the process of casting the skin; moulting.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.