carapace

[ kar-uh-peys ]
See synonyms for carapace on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a bony or chitinous shield, test, or shell covering some or all of the dorsal part of an animal, as of a turtle.

Origin of carapace

1
1830–40; <French <Spanish carapacho, of obscure origin

Other words from carapace

  • car·a·paced, adjective
  • car·a·pa·cial [kar-uh-pey-shuhl], /ˌkær əˈpeɪ ʃəl/, adjective

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British Dictionary definitions for carapace

carapace

/ (ˈkærəˌpeɪs) /


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

Origin of carapace

1
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

Scientific definitions for carapace

carapace

[ kărə-pās′ ]


  1. A hard outer covering or shell made of bone or chitin on the back of animals such as turtles, armadillos, lobsters, and crabs.

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