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Showing results for keratinous. Search instead for ceratinous.

keratinous

American  
[kuh-rat-n-uhs] / kəˈræt n əs /

adjective

  1. composed of or resembling keratin; horny.


Etymology

Origin of keratinous

First recorded in 1895–1900; keratin + -ous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The specimen also preserves the first keratinous sheath of a therizinosaur, an element that covers the claw much like human fingernails, aiding defence, movement, or prey catching.

From BBC Mar. 25, 2025

He thinks they are a different kind of keratinous covering, though he agrees they were probably spectacularly colored.

From Science Magazine Apr. 20, 2022

It is neither hair nor tooth, but a stack of keratinous plates that hang, closely packed and bristling, from the upper jaw inside a whale’s mouth, forming a brush-like sieve for feeding.

From The Guardian Nov. 29, 2016

It is made of basal cells at the base of the hair root and tends to be more keratinous in the upper regions.

From Textbooks Jun. 19, 2013

This raises an interesting question: are unguals and their overlying keratinous sheaths similar enough in shape that they provide the same ‘signal’ as goes behaviour?

From Scientific American Dec. 18, 2012

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