spongin

[spuhn-jin]

noun

a scleroprotein occurring in the form of fibers that form the skeleton of certain sponges.

Origin of spongin

First recorded in 1865–70; sponge + -in²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for spongin

Historical Examples of spongin

You better hustle ahead with your spongin' off; I'm just about through here!
The Deserter, and Other Stories
Harold Frederic
I can't stay an' be spongin' on you folks any longer, it wouldn't be proper.
Dave Porter in the South Seas
Edward Stratemeyer
The amount of spongin present is also different in different species.
Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa
Nelson Annandale
In other species the spongin is intermixed with spicules of silica, or of carbonate of lime, in various shapes.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide
Augusta Foote Arnold
In this genus the skeleton is more or less flexible, being composed of spongin.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide
Augusta Foote Arnold

British Dictionary definitions for spongin

spongin

noun

a fibrous horny protein that forms the skeletal framework of the bath sponge and related sponges

Word Origin for spongin

C19: from German, from Latin spongia sponge + -in

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012