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chitin

(kī′tin)

noun

a tough, horny polysaccharide, (CHNO), secreted by the epidermis and forming the main bulk of the outer covering of insects, crustaceans, etc.

Origin: Fr chitine < Gr chitōn: see chiton

Related Forms:

chitinous adjective

See chitin in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A tough, protective, semitransparent substance, primarily a nitrogen-containing polysaccharide, forming the principal component of arthropod exoskeletons and the cell walls of certain fungi.

Origin:

Origin: French chitine

Origin: : New Latin chitōn, mollusk (from Greek khitōn, chiton; see chiton)

Origin: + -ine²

Related Forms:

chiˈtin·ous adjective

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