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)]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The molluscan genus Chiton offers a partially analogous case.

View in context

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

Petra was endowed with a colonnaded avenue and temples: witness the ronde-bosse panels showing a fleshy, beribbonned head of Dionysos (wearing a fillet across his forehead and ivy and grape leaves in his hair); a goddess with diadem and crinkly v-necked chiton (tunic); and the huge bust of a bearded, Zeus-like deity.

Capitals of culture: John Ma welcomes a survey that shows how much cities in the ancient Near East had in common

Shell colour polymorphism in the chiton Ischnochiton striolatus (Gray, 1828) (Mollusca: Polyplacophora) and habitat heterogeneity.

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

Before we even sat down at our round, saloon-style couched table, loud (like, loud!) Greek music burst from the speakers as the waiters, dressed in chiton and peplos -- traditional Greek clothing -- gathered around and began dancing across the restaurant, inviting guests to join the fun and be a part of the unique experience.

OPA: Enjoy a traditional Greek experience in Dubai

From the 750 individuals examined of Chiton magnificus only one (0.13%), collected at Tres Playitas, Huasco, in January of 2015, presented anomalies (Table 1).

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

Wearing a long chiton, or tunic, of fine cloth, that falls in folds to her feet, the figure was first found on the Greek island of Samothrace, and is thought to have been created around 200-190 BC.

An amble through the Louvre in Paris

The hunter goddess Artemis: Bow and arrow, sandals, sheet for Greek "chiton" robe (find directions at TakeBackHalloween.org) ...

Halloween brainstorm!

(8) Dionysos wears an ivy wreath and a himation (cloak) over his chiton that wraps around both shoulders so that his right hand is lost in the folds of the garment.

God as Cult Initiate: Dionysos and the Eleusinian Mysteries in Greek Vase-Painting

Biologists had known that some chiton species sprinkle their armored plates with simple-seeming eyespots.

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