chitin

[kahy-tin]

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.

Origin of chitin

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

Related formschi·tin·ous, chi·tin·oid, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chitinous

Historical Examples of chitinous

Armatus: set with spines, claws or other chitinous processes.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
Scutes: the chitinous shields or plates on the segments of larvae.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
The chitinous covering of this harvesting-ant is firm and hard.
Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 22, November, 1878
Various
The chitinous object he had picked up now shook and quivered of itself.
Nightmare Planet
Murray Leinster
The uneasy rustling of chitinous arms against white robes recalled him from his meditation.
The Worshippers
Damon Francis Knight

British Dictionary definitions for chitinous

chitin

noun

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

Derived Formschitinous, 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

Word Origin and History for chitinous

chitin

1836, from French chitine, from Greek khiton "frock, tunic," of soldiers, "coat of mail," used metaphorically for "any coat or covering." "Probably an Oriental word" [Liddell & Scott]. Klein compares Hebrew kuttoneth, Aramaic kittana, Arabic kattan "linen."

chitinous in Medicine

chitin

[kīt′n]

n.

A tough, protective, semitransparent polysaccharide forming the principal component of arthropod exoskeletons and the cell walls of certain fungi.

Related formschi′tin•ous adj.

chitinous in Science

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).