chitinnoun [ U ]
uk/ˈkaɪ.tɪn/us/ˈkaɪ.tən/specializeda hard substance in the outer shell of insects and animals such as shrimp and lobster, and in the cell walls of some fungi
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Fruits & seeds & their parts
- acorn
- berry
- chaff
- cocoa bean
- coffee bean
- endosperm
- fruiterer
- grain
- husk
- mielie
- nut
- pine cone
- pine nut
- pit
- seeded
- sesame seed
- stalk
- thistledown
- windfall
- zest
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
The skin, hair & bone of non-human animals
Examples from literature
- Chitin, a white horny substance found in the exoskeleton of several invertebrate animals.
- It would be soft but for the chitin, as the horny substance is called.
- The whole outer shell of the insect is made of the horny chitin.
- There is no chitin in the skin between the segments.
- They are worked by powerful muscles, and are supported, like a fan, by ribs of chitin, which may be accompanied by air-tubes, blood-channels, and nerves.