carapace

[ kar-uh-peys ]

noun

1. a bony or chitinous shield, test, or shell covering some or all of the dorsal part of an animal, as of a turtle.

carapace

/ ˈkærəˌpeɪs /

noun

1. the thick hard shield, made of chitin or bone, that covers part of the body of crabs, lobsters, tortoises, etc

carapace

/ kăr′ə-pās′ /

1. A hard outer covering or shell made of bone or chitin on the back of animals such as turtles, armadillos, lobsters, and crabs.

Other Words From

• cara·paced adjective
• car·a·pa·cial [kar-, uh, -, pey, -sh, uh, l], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of carapace¹

1830–40; < French < Spanish carapacho, of obscure origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of carapace¹

C19: from French, from Spanish carapacho, of unknown origin

Example Sentences

The suit -- called a carapace -- is about 70% complete and covers each major region of the body.

From Science Daily

"Convergence of the osteoderms across distantly related aetosaurs has been noted before, but the carapace of Garzapelta muelleri is the best example of it and shows to what extent it can happen and the problems it causes in our phylogenetic analyses," Reyes said.

From Science Daily

"Turtle growth rates and sizes vary," says Cómbita-Romero, so the team looked at features like the thickness of its carapace and the spots where its ribs were knitting together into solid bone.

From Science Daily

"This is a feature uncommon in hatchlings but observed in juveniles. All this information suggests that the turtle likely died with a slightly developed carapace, between 0 to 1 years old, in a post-hatchling stage," he says.

From Science Daily

It had stubby limbs and a flattened carapace, suggesting that—unlike modern sea turtles—this ancient reptile lived along shallow coastlines.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• bark
• coating
• crust
• fur
• husk
• jacket
• membrane
• rind
• sheath
• surface