byssus

[ bis-uhs ]

/ ˈbɪs əs /

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noun, plural bys·sus·es, bys·si

[bis-ahy]. /ˈbɪs aɪ/.

Zoology. a collection of silky filaments by which certain mollusks attach themselves to rocks.

an ancient cloth, thought to be of linen, cotton, or silk.

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Origin of byssus

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin <Greek býssos a fine cotton or linen <Semitic; compare Hebrew būts

OTHER WORDS FROM byssus

bys·sa·ceous

[bih-sey-shuhs], /bɪˈseɪ ʃəs/, byssoid, adjectivebyssal, adjective

Words nearby byssus

Byron, George Gordon, Lord, Byronic, Byronic hero, byrrus, byssinosis, byssus, bystander, by storm, by-street, by surprise, by-talk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use byssus in a sentence

Clean your mussels just before you are ready to cook, because once you yank off that byssus, the mussel may die, and you want to cook them while they are alive.
Mussels are simple to prepare, and add tasty drama to the table|Martha Holmberg|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
The Serica347 also are of a similar kind, and are made of dry byssus, which is obtained from some sort of bark of plants.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3)|Strabo
The meaning of the word Byssus has been disputed; some authorities asserting that it includes both flax and cotton fabrics.
Needlework As Art|Marian Alford
The foot is usually provided with a byssus by which the animal fixes itself to a little projection on the side of its burrow.
The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux

The mantle of the animal is open, and the margins of the lobes fringed; and the small foot spins a powerful byssus.
The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux
The mummy lay on a mattress of striped byssus, the head on a byssus pillow.
The Tour|Louis Couperus

British Dictionary definitions for byssus

byssus

/ (ˈbɪsəs) /

noun plural byssuses or byssi (ˈbɪsaɪ)

a mass of strong threads secreted by a sea mussel or similar mollusc that attaches the animal to a hard fixed surface

Word Origin for byssus

C17: from Latin, from Greek bussos linen, flax, ultimately of Egyptian origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012