different between exoskeleton vs chitin

English

Etymology

From exo- +? skeleton.

Noun

exoskeleton (plural exoskeletons)

1. (anatomy) A hard outer structure that provides both structure and protection to creatures such as insects and Crustacea.

Derived terms

• exoskeletal

Translations

See also

• endoskeleton

English

Etymology

From French chitine, from Latin chit?n (“mollusk”), from Ancient Greek ????? (khit?n). See also chiton.

Pronunciation

• enPR: k??t?n, IPA^(key): /?ka?t?n/
• Rhymes: -a?t?n

Noun

chitin (countable and uncountable, plural chitins)

1. (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.
   • 1880, Arthur Gamgee, A Text-book of the Physiological Chemistry of the Animal Body, Macmillan, p. 299

     Chitin usually occurs throughout Invertebrates in the form of an investment to the outermost cellular layer or ectoderm.

   • 2004, New Scientist, 11 Sep 2004, p.19

     The robot’s energy source is the sugar in the polysaccharide called chitin that makes up a fly’s exoskeleton.

Derived terms

Translations

References

• chitin in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “chitin”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• itchin'