chitin

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a tough semitransparent horny substance; the principal component of the exoskeletons of arthropods and the cell walls of certain fungi

From French chitine, from Latin chitōn (“mollusk”), from Ancient Greek χιτών (khitṓn). See also chiton.

They are kept stiff by the chitin. — The Insect Folk, Morley, Margaret Warner
A beetle, but with the shell of a crustacean instead of mere chitin. — Astounding Stories of Super-Science January 1930, Unknown

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