Chitin

Pronunciation

• enPR: ʹkÄ«tÄ­n, IPA: /ˈkaɪtɪn/
• Rhymes: -aɪtɪn

Origin

From French chitine, from Latin chitōn ("mollusk"). See also chiton.

Full definition of chitin

Noun

1. (carbohydrate) 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. 299Chitin usually occurs throughout Invertebrates in the form of an investment to the outermost cellular layer or ectoderm.
• 2004, New Scientist, 11 Sep 2004, p.19The robot’s energy source is the sugar in the polysaccharide called chitin that makes up a fly’s exoskeleton.

Derived terms

• chitinous