WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
chi•tin  (kī′tin),USA pronunciation n. [Biochem.]
  1. Biochemistrya nitrogen-containing polysaccharide, related chemically to cellulose, that forms a semitransparent horny substance and is a principal constituent of the exoskeleton, or outer covering, of insects, crustaceans, and arachnids.
  • Greek chit(ó̄n) tunic, chiton + French -ine -in2
  • French chitine
  • 1830–40
chi′tin•ous, adj. chi′tin•oid′, adj. 

'chitinous' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
arthropod - carapace - chaeta - ephippium - epigynum - nervure - pen - perisarc - phoronid - protoplasm - radula - scale - sclerite - scute - statoblast

Forum discussions with the word(s) "chitinous" in the title:


Look up "chitinous" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "chitinous" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!

Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.