ECDYSIS

molt, molting, moult, moulting, ecdysis

(noun) periodic shedding of the cuticle in arthropods or the outer skin in reptiles

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

ecdysis (countable and uncountable, plural ecdyses)

The shedding of an outer layer of skin in snakes and certain other animals; moulting

The shedding of an exoskeleton, as in insects and crustaceans.

Source: Wiktionary


Ec"dy*sis, n.; pl. Ecdyses. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. 'e`kdysis a getting out, fr. 'ekdy`ein, to put off; 'ek out + dy`ein to enter.] (Biol.)

Definition: The act of shedding, or casting off, an outer cuticular layer, as in the case of serpents, lobsters, etc.; a coming out; as, the ecdysis of the pupa from its shell; exuviation.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

12 February 2025

MEGACOLON

(noun) an abnormal enlargement of the colon; can be congenital (as in Hirschsprung’s disease) or acquired (as when children refuse to defecate)


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest collection of coffee pots belongs to Robert Dahl (Germany) and consists of 27,390 coffee pots as of 2 November 2012, in Rövershagen, Germany.

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