chiton
Americannoun
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Also called sea cradle. a mollusk of the class Amphineura, having a mantle covered with calcareous plates, found adhering to rocks.
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a gown or tunic, with or without sleeves, worn in ancient Greece.
noun
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(in ancient Greece and Rome) a loose woollen tunic worn knee length by men and full length by women
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Also called: coat-of-mail shell. any small primitive marine mollusc of the genus Chiton and related genera, having an elongated body covered with eight overlapping shell plates: class Amphineura
Etymology
Origin of chiton
First recorded in 1810–20; from Greek chitṓn “tunic,” from Semitic (compare Hebrew kuttōneth “tunic”); ultimately from Sumerian
Vocabulary lists containing chiton
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 public naming campaign began after Ze Frank featured the rare deep-sea chiton from the genus Ferreiraella in an episode of his "True Facts" YouTube series.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 7, 2026
I found a cantaloupe-color, fist-size chiton that a gull had snacked on.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2018
A professor held the tongue plate of a chiton, a type of mollusk, and dragged it around with a bar magnet.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 23, 2016
The photo shows a chiton, which has an oval body with plate-like armor divided into segments.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
He wore an ancient Greek chiton and a white himation, a kind of cape that flowed down his shoulders.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
