ecdysis

American  

[ek-duh-sis] / ˈɛk də sɪs /

noun

ecdyses plural

1. the shedding or casting off of an outer coat or integument by snakes, crustaceans, etc.

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ecdysis British  

/ ˈɛkdɪsɪs /

noun

1. the periodic shedding of the cuticle in insects and other arthropods or the outer epidermal layer in reptiles See also ecdysone

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ecdysial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ecdyses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ecdysis

1850–55; < New Latin < Greek ékdysis a getting out, equivalent to ek- ec- + dý ( ein ) to enter + -sis -sis

Example Sentences

Linear webs hang loosely on the wall, like residue from an autopsy surgeon’s scalpel, while snakelike shapes seem to be in the process of shedding their skin — ecdysis, as internal development outgrows its container.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2022

Their final de-husking, called ecdysis, leaves behind a caramel-colored, translucent, empty, cicada-shaped cuticle.

From Washington Times • Jun. 8, 2015

Factoid: From the word ecdysis, midcentury smart-aleck H.L.

From Washington Times • Jun. 8, 2015

The process of molting and replacing the cuticle is called ecdysis, which is how the superphylum derived its name.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Sub-imago.—Among the Hexapoda generally there is no subsequent ecdysis nor any further growth after the assumption of the winged state.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various