chitin

[ kahy-tin ]

/ ˈkaɪ tɪn /

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noun Biochemistry.

a nitrogen-containing polysaccharide, related chemically to cellulose, that forms a semitransparent horny substance and is a principal constituent of the exoskeleton, or outer covering, of insects, crustaceans, and arachnids.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of chitin

1830–40; <French chitine<Greek chit(ṓn) tunic, chiton + French -ine-in²

OTHER WORDS FROM chitin

chi·tin·ous, chi·tin·oid, adjective

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

How to use chitin in a sentence

The process also would work for the chitin in insect shells.
Analyze This: Insect shells could help builders on Mars|Carolyn Wilke|November 4, 2020|Science News For Students
After a chemical treatment that makes it easier to use, chitin becomes “chitosan.”
Analyze This: Insect shells could help builders on Mars|Carolyn Wilke|November 4, 2020|Science News For Students
There is a thick chitinous membrane at the base of the sponge.
Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa|Nelson Annandale
Corresponding changes have taken place in the head and in the chitinous and muscular structure.
Parallel Paths|Thomas William Rolleston

There are also on the last segment a double and two single black chitinous plates.
Studies in the Theory of Descent (Volumes 1 and 2)|August Weismann
These are a pair of chitinous rods which lie ventral to the notochord and in the collar region unite to form a single mass.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The fine chitinous tubule is especially conspicuous in connection with these largest goblets.
The Origin of Vertebrates|Walter Holbrook Gaskell

British Dictionary definitions for chitin

chitin

/ (ˈkaɪtɪn) /

noun

a polysaccharide that is the principal component of the exoskeletons of arthropods and of the bodies of fungi

Derived forms of chitin

chitinous, adjectivechitinoid, adjective

Word Origin for chitin

C19: from French chitine, from Greek khitōn chiton + -in

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 chitin

chitin

[ kīt′n ]

A tough, semitransparent substance that is the main component of the exoskeletons of arthropods, such as the shells of crustaceans and the outer coverings of insects. Chitin is also found in the cell walls of certain fungi and algae. Chemically, it is a nitrogenous polysaccharide (a carbohydrate).