chiton

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chi·ton

(kīt′n, kī′tŏn′)

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.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

chiton

(ˈkaɪtən; -tɒn)

1. (Clothing & Fashion) (in ancient Greece and Rome) a loose woollen tunic worn knee length by men and full length by women

2. (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]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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)]

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Noun	1.	chiton - a woolen tunic worn by men and women in ancient Greece tunic - 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 plates coat-of-mail shell, polyplacophore, sea cradle mollusc, mollusk, shellfish - invertebrate having a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a shell genus Chiton - a genus of Polyplacophora

References in classic literature ?

I have already remarked to what a degree the sea swarms with living creatures; and the shells (such as the Patellae, Fissurellae, Chitons, and Barnacles), according to Mr.

View in context

The molluscan genus Chiton offers a partially analogous case.

View in context

Species composition and vertical distribution of chitons (Mollusca: Polyplacophora) in a rocky intertidal zone of the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

MOLLUSCAN ASSEMBLAGES IN ROCK POOLS ON SANDSTONE REEFS: LOCAL AND BETWEEN POOLS VARIABILITY

Teratology cases in Mollusca, report abnormalities in the shell of these animals primarily; in chitons, for instance, these have been classified as "hypomerism" and "hypermerism" when specimens have fewer or more shell plates than the regular eight respectively, "coalescence" when two or more plates are merged together, and "splitting" when one shell plate is divided into two independent halves (Taki, 1932; Dell'Angelo & Schwabe, 2010).

Mollusk freaks: new teratological cases on marine mollusks from the South Pacific Ocean

As she sat in her dad's boat, Murphy would look towards the shoreline, imagining all the creatures she'd find exploring the intertidal zone: crabs crouched under rocks, sea stars, chitons, anemones, as well as innumerable species of mussels.

Chameleon chemist: Newfoundlander Jennifer Murphy turned a childhood love of marine creatures into award-winning PhD research that is changing the province's aquaculture industry

Three of our rarest chitons, Acanthochites maughani, Torr and Ashby, A.

One hundred and two years ago

Its tide pools overflowed with a varied community of mussels and barnacles, limpets and chitons and snails, and a sea star, Pisaster ochraceus, known as the ochre star.

Sea change: the wasting disease afflicting sea stars is but one of many indications that a warmer ocean is a sicker ocean

Certain species of the crawling lumps of mollusk called chitons polka-dot their armor-plated backs with hundreds of tiny eyes.

How to see with eyes made of rock: embedded lenses weaken chitons' armor but enable vision

A preliminary investigation of diversity, abundance, and distributional patterns of chitons in intertidal boulder-fields of differing rock type in South Australia.

Based on our results, their conclusions can likely be extended to another molluscan group: the chitons.

Chitons (Mollusca, Polyplacophora) from Sao Tome and Principe Islands

Over time, chitons have evolved to eat algae growing on and within rocks using a specialized rasping organ called a radula, a conveyer belt-like structure in the mouth that contains 70 to 80 parallel rows of teeth.

Using Snail Teeth to Improve Solar Cells, Batteries

Both the shell-less aplacophorans and the shelled chitons, also known as sea cradles, still exist today.