English Explanatory Dictionary

carapace

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A hard protective covering of bone or chitin, especially one which covers the dorsal portion of an animal.
  2. That which protects.

Pronunciation

/ˈkæ.ɹəˌpeɪs/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-carapace.wav /ˈkɛɹ.əˌpeɪs/

Word forms

carapace carapaces

Etymology

Etymology tree substrateder.? Spanish carapachobor. French carapacebor. English carapace Borrowed from French carapace (“tortoise shell”), from Spanish carapacho, of unknown origin, but likely from an extinct Ibero-Mediterranean substrate language. Compare Catalan carabassa, Ancient Greek κάραβος (kárabos, “beetle”), Latin scarabaeus (the source of scarab); also Spanish galápago (“kind of turtle”). Doublet of calipash.

Related words

exoskeleton

Derived words

carapaced carapacelike carapaceous carapacial carapacic pseudocarapace
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