chitin
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See also: Chitin
English
Etymology
From French chitine, from Latin chitōn (“mollusk”), from Ancient Greek χιτών (khitṓn). See also chiton.
Pronunciation
Noun
chitin (countable and uncountable, plural chitins)
- (biochemistry) A complex polysaccharide, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, found in the exoskeletons of arthropods and in the cell walls of fungi; thought to be responsible for some forms of asthma in humans.
- 2004 September 11, New Scientist, page 19:
- The robot’s energy source is the sugar in the polysaccharide called chitin that makes up a fly’s exoskeleton.
Derived terms
Translations
polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, found in arthropod and fungi
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References
- “chitin”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “chitin”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.