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keratinous

American  
[kuh-rat-n-uhs] / kəˈræt n əs /

adjective

  1. composed of or resembling keratin; horny.


Etymology

Origin of keratinous

First recorded in 1895–1900; keratin + -ous


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The specimen also preserves the first keratinous sheath of a therizinosaur, an element that covers the claw much like human fingernails, aiding defence, movement, or prey catching.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2025

He thinks they are a different kind of keratinous covering, though he agrees they were probably spectacularly colored.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 20, 2022

It is neither hair nor tooth, but a stack of keratinous plates that hang, closely packed and bristling, from the upper jaw inside a whale’s mouth, forming a brush-like sieve for feeding.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 29, 2016

It is made of basal cells at the base of the hair root and tends to be more keratinous in the upper regions.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

As just mentioned, Ostrom used pedal ungual shape, not the shape of the keratinous claws themselves.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 18, 2012

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