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

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

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

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

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Fawkes the phoenix was gnawing a bit of cuttlebone.

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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.

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