carapace

[ kar-uh-peys ]

/ ˈkær əˌpeɪs /

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See synonyms for carapace on Thesaurus.com

noun

a bony or chitinous shield, test, or shell covering some or all of the dorsal part of an animal, as of a turtle.

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Origin of carapace

1830–40; <French <Spanish carapacho, of obscure origin

OTHER WORDS FROM carapace

car·a·paced, adjectivecar·a·pa·cial

[kar-uh-pey-shuhl], /ˌkær əˈpeɪ ʃəl/, adjective

Words nearby carapace

caramel, caramelize, carangid, carangoid, carapa, carapace, carat, Caratacus, Caratinga, Caravaggio, caravan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use carapace in a sentence

Rather, it may have used its large carapace to plow through the mud.
This ancient ‘mothership’ used probing ‘fingers’ to scrape the ocean floor for prey|Kate Baggaley|September 9, 2021|Popular-Science
These included fragments of carapace, mouthparts, and claws, as well as one remarkably well preserved carapace.
This ancient ‘mothership’ used probing ‘fingers’ to scrape the ocean floor for prey|Kate Baggaley|September 9, 2021|Popular-Science
So while they won’t exactly feel your embrace through the dead carapace of their bark, they might sense you as an electrical presence lurking restlessly at their periphery.
We’re at home among trees — which might be able to sense our presence|Richard Schiffman|July 23, 2021|Washington Post
That morning, I went out to get the newspaper from my lawn and spotted an empty carapace clinging to my front door jamb.
I’ve waited 17 years to write about periodical cicadas again. The wait is over.|John Kelly|May 12, 2021|Washington Post

It starts when the spores of a certain species of Cordyceps take root in the carapace of an ant—different species target different insects.
Meet the Renaissance Man Obsessed with Mushrooms|Doug Bierend|March 10, 2021|Outside Online
I walked back to my desk, keeping the satisfaction locked tight within a carapace of steely unconcern, and took in the scene.
Wall Street Bonuses Tumble, But Bankers Have Nowhere to Go|Aaron Timms|March 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It encases their loserdom in a carapace of purity and righteousness.
The GOP’s Leading Crank|Michael Tomasky|August 30, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Ian McEwan: Well, I think one way… I think you have to develop a carapace of boringness.
Hanging Out with Ian McEwan: Full Transcript|The Daily Beast Video|April 14, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Greater awareness of that would soften their carapace of greed.
How Bankers Screwed Up Their PR|Adam Hanft|February 7, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The record from Chinaj is based on a carapace found in a chiclero camp, where the turtle evidently had been brought for food.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala|William E. Duellman
The stripes on the forelimbs were orange, and the ocelli on the carapace were red.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala|William E. Duellman
"Nice doggy," the man said, his fingers scratching under the edge of the carapace where it joined the flesh.
Deathworld|Harry Harrison
We have just mentioned the fact that the head and thorax of a decapod is usually covered by a large shield—the carapace.
The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux
They derive their name from the nature of the carapace, which is of a rounded form and very hard and strong.
The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux

British Dictionary definitions for carapace

carapace

/ (ˈkærəˌpeɪs) /

noun

the thick hard shield, made of chitin or bone, that covers part of the body of crabs, lobsters, tortoises, etc

Word Origin for carapace

C19: from French, from Spanish carapacho, of unknown 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