Dictionary.com

chiton

[ kahyt-n, kahy-ton ]
/ ˈkaɪt n, ˈkaɪ tɒn /
Save This Word!

noun
Also called sea cradle. a mollusk of the class Amphineura, having a mantle covered with calcareous plates, found adhering to rocks.
a gown or tunic, with or without sleeves, worn in ancient Greece.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of chiton

First recorded in 1810–20; from Greek chitṓn “tunic,” from Semitic (compare Hebrew kuttōneth “tunic”); ultimately from Sumerian
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chiton in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chiton

chiton
/ (ˈkaɪtən, -tɒn) /

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

Word Origin for chiton

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
FEEDBACK