cuttlebone

[ kuht-l-bohn ]

noun

1. the calcareous internal shell of cuttlefishes, used to make powder for polishing and fed to canaries and other pet birds to supply their diet with lime.

cuttlebone

/ ˈkʌtəlˌbəʊn /

noun

1. the internal calcareous shell of the cuttlefish, used as a mineral supplement to the diet of cage-birds and as a polishing agent

Word History and Origins

Origin of cuttlebone¹

First recorded in 1805–15; cuttle(fish) + bone

Example Sentences

There were crushed pieces of calcined material that looked like cuttlebone.

From Project Gutenberg

Of such is the cuttlebone of commerce, which is a calcareous leaf-like body obtained from Sepia, the cuttlefish.

From Project Gutenberg