cuttlebone

American  

[kuht-l-bohn] / ˈkʌt lˌboʊn /

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.

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cuttlebone British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of cuttlebone

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

Example Sentences

A nautilus’ phragmocone is its coiled shell; a cuttlefish’s is its cuttlebone.

From Seattle Times

He thought about holding workshops in his studio to teach people how to make their own engagement rings out of cuttlebone.

From New York Times

He had his own cuttlebone that he rubbed the sides of his beak against like a knife grinder honing his blade.

From Literature

Fawkes the phoenix was gnawing a bit of cuttlebone.

From Literature

Richard Johnston was in Germany last year to test drive a microscope when he found that his only opportunity to prepare a sample of cuttlebone for scanning was in his hotel room.

From Nature