TESTACEOUS

testaceous

(adjective) relating to or possessing a testa or hard shell; “testaceous fish”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

testaceous (comparative more testaceous, superlative most testaceous)

(obsolete) Pertaining to earthenware or baked clay.

Having a shell, especially one which is not articulated.

Of a reddish-yellow or brownish colour, like brick.

Source: Wiktionary


Tes*ta"ceous, a. Etym: [L. testaceus, fr. testa a shell. See Testa.]

1. Of or pertaining to shells; consisted of a hard shell, or having a hard shell.

2. (Bot. & Zoöl.)

Definition: Having a dull red brick color or a brownish yellow color. Testaceous animals (Zoöl.), animals having a firm, calcareous shell, as oysters and clams, thus distinguished from crustaceous animals, whose shells are more thin and soft, and consist of several joints, or articulations, as lobsters and crabs.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

4 April 2025

GUILLOTINE

(verb) kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine; “The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.

coffee icon