carapace

American  

[kar-uh-peys] / ˈkær əˌpeɪs /

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.

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carapace British  

/ ˈkærəˌpeɪs /

noun

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

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carapace Scientific  

/ kăr′ə-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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Other Word Forms

• carapaced
  adjective
• carapacial
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of carapace

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

Explanation

Carapace is a scientific term for protective shell. Turtles and crabs have them, but humans don't — so we make do with bike helmets and elbow pads. Otherwise known as outerwear for arthropods and turtles, carapace is a word you probably won't come across very often, unless you're a zoologist. But that doesn't mean you can't use it to describe someone who's a tough nut to crack. If a person has a gruff attitude meant to protect them emotionally, they've certainly enclosed themselves in a carapace of sorts.

Example Sentences

"Turtle growth rates and sizes vary," says Cómbita-Romero, so the team looked at features like the thickness of its carapace and the spots where its ribs were knitting together into solid bone.

From Science Daily • Dec. 7, 2023

It had stubby limbs and a flattened carapace, suggesting that—unlike modern sea turtles—this ancient reptile lived along shallow coastlines.

From Scientific American • Oct. 22, 2023

Polished, urbane and preternaturally prepared, Cornwell’s sometimes mischievous demeanor forms a kind of shadow narrative, a fascinating carapace that Morris’s interrogatory arrows fail to fully pierce.

From New York Times • Oct. 19, 2023

Gia’s reserve never feels evasive or affected; it feels like a carapace, donned by someone who’s been through a lot and knows better than to put her trust in people.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 13, 2023

There was a bodice of pure molded gold, made to look like a beetle’s carapace, and a fan collar fashioned from the spines of poisonous fish, with tiny teeth sewn in patterns like seed pearls.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

• bark
• coating
• crust
• fur
• husk
• jacket
• membrane
• rind
• sheath
• surface