Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for keratinous. Search instead for ceratinous.

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.

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

Note that Ostrom illustrated pedal unguals – the bones that support foot claws – and not the keratinous claws themselves.

From Scientific American • Dec. 18, 2012

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "keratinous" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com