chiton

[ kahyt-n, kahy-ton ]
See synonyms for chiton on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Also called sea cra·dle [see-kreyd-l] /ˈsi ˌkreɪd l/ . a mollusk of the class Amphineura, having a mantle covered with calcareous plates, found adhering to rocks.

  2. a gown or tunic, with or without sleeves, worn in ancient Greece.

Origin of chiton

1
First recorded in 1810–20; from Greek chitṓn “tunic,” from Semitic (compare Hebrew kuttōneth “tunic”); ultimately from Sumerian

Words Nearby chiton

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chiton in a sentence

  • He wished his own clothing away, and fumbled for a second at the two fastenings that held Kathy's chiton in place.

    Pagan Passions | Gordon Randall Garrett
  • He turned to Kathy, who had devoted the previous few seconds to getting her chiton on again.

    Pagan Passions | Gordon Randall Garrett
  • He thought she might have deliberately vanished her chiton only a second or so before he entered.

    Pagan Passions | Gordon Randall Garrett
  • Here, in this armoured chiton, would be an object that a poet might readily call "a chiton of bronze."

    Homer and His Age | Andrew Lang
  • Again, such a bronze chiton might stop a spear of which the impetus was spent in penetrating the shield.

    Homer and His Age | Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for chiton

chiton

/ (ˈkaɪtən, -tɒn) /


noun
  1. (in ancient Greece and Rome) a loose woollen tunic worn knee length by men and full length by women

  2. Also called: coat-of-mail shell any small primitive marine mollusc of the genus Chiton and related genera, having an elongated body covered with eight overlapping shell plates: class Amphineura

Origin of chiton

1
C19: from Greek khitōn coat of mail, of Semitic origin; related to Hebrew kethōnet

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