chiton

chi·ton

C0310400 (kīt′n, kī′tŏn′)n.1. Any of various marine mollusks of the class Polyplacophora that live on rocks and have shells consisting of eight overlapping calcareous plates. Also called sea cradle.2. A tunic worn by men and women in ancient Greece.

[Greek khitōn, tunic, from Central Semitic *kittān, from Akkadian kitû, kita'um, flax, linen, from Sumerian gada, gida.]

chiton

(ˈkaɪtən; -tɒn) n1. (Clothing & Fashion) (in ancient Greece and Rome) a loose woollen tunic worn knee length by men and full length by women2. (Animals) Also called: coat-of-mail shell any small primitive marine mollusc of the genus Chiton and related genera, having an elongated body covered with eight overlapping shell plates: class Amphineura[C19: from Greek khitōn coat of mail, of Semitic origin; related to Hebrew kethōnet]

chi•ton

(ˈkaɪt n, ˈkaɪ tɒn)

n. 1. any marine mollusk of the class Amphineura, having a dorsal shell of eight overlapping plates. 2. a gown or tunic, with or without sleeves, worn by both sexes in ancient Greece. [1810–20; < Greek chitṓn < Semitic (compare Hebrew kuttōneth tunic)]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	chiton - a woolen tunic worn by men and women in ancient Greecetunic - any of a variety of loose fitting cloaks extending to the hips or knees
	2.	chiton - primitive elongated bilaterally symmetrical marine mollusk having a mantle covered with eight calcareous platescoat-of-mail shell, polyplacophore, sea cradlemollusc, mollusk, shellfish - invertebrate having a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a shellgenus Chiton - a genus of Polyplacophora

chiton

(kī`tən), common name for rock-clinging marine mollusks of the class Polyplacophora. Chitons are abundant on rocky coasts throughout most of the world, from the intertidal zone to a depth of about 1,200 ft (400 m). They range in length from 1-2 in. to 12 in. (1.2–30 cm), according to the species, but most are 1 to 3 in. (2.5–7.5 cm) long. The body of a chiton is low and oval; it is covered dorsally by a slightly convex shell consisting of eight linearly arranged overlapping plates. The shell may be dull or brightly colored. Most of the lower surface consists of a broad, flat foot with which the chiton clings to hard surfaces, often so tightly that a sharp instrument is needed to pry it loose. When dislodged, a chiton rolls into a ball. Beneath the shell is the characteristic molluscan mantle, a fleshy outfolding of the body wall. The lower edge of the mantle, called the girdle, extends below the edge of the shell and aids the foot in gripping. The girdle may be very wide and extend upward over the shell; in some species it is smooth or covered with scales, hairs, or spines that give the animal a shaggy appearance. The many gills are arranged in two rows within the mantle, one on either side of the body. The mouth, located on the ventral surface in front of the foot, contains a toothed, tonguelike scraping organ, the radula. Chitons crawl slowly by means of muscular undulations in the foot. Most are herbivorous, feeding on algae scraped from rocks and shells with the radula; some are carnivorous or omnivorous. Most feed at night and shelter under rock ledges by day. Chitons are classified in the phylum MolluscaMollusca
, taxonomic name for the one of the largest phyla of invertebrate animals (Arthropoda is the largest) comprising more than 50,000 living mollusk species and about 35,000 fossil species dating back to the Cambrian period.
..... Click the link for more information. , class Polyplacophora, order Polyplacophora.

chiton

[′kīt·ən] (invertebrate zoology) The common name for over 600 extant species of mollusks which are members of the class Polyplacophora.

chiton

noun

Synonyms for chiton

noun a woolen tunic worn by men and women in ancient Greece

Related Words

tunic

noun primitive elongated bilaterally symmetrical marine mollusk having a mantle covered with eight calcareous plates

Synonyms

coat-of-mail shell
polyplacophore
sea cradle

Related Words

mollusc
mollusk
shellfish
genus Chiton