ecdysis

American  

[ek-duh-sis] / ˈɛk də sɪs /

noun

plural

ecdyses

1. the shedding or casting off of an outer coat or integument by snakes, crustaceans, etc.

---

ecdysis British  

/ ˈɛkdɪsɪs /

noun

1. the periodic shedding of the cuticle in insects and other arthropods or the outer epidermal layer in reptiles See also ecdysone

---

Other Word Forms

• ecdysial adjective

Etymology

Origin of ecdysis

1850–55; < New Latin < Greek ékdysis a getting out, equivalent to ek- ec- + dý ( ein ) to enter + -sis -sis

Example Sentences

Linear webs hang loosely on the wall, like residue from an autopsy surgeon’s scalpel, while snakelike shapes seem to be in the process of shedding their skin — ecdysis, as internal development outgrows its container.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2022

Their final de-husking, called ecdysis, leaves behind a caramel-colored, translucent, empty, cicada-shaped cuticle.

From Washington Times • Jun. 8, 2015

Factoid: From the word ecdysis, midcentury smart-aleck H.L.

From Washington Times • Jun. 8, 2015

The process of molting and replacing the cuticle is called ecdysis, which is how the superphylum derived its name.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The 'Micrographic Dictionary' states that the Tardigrada lay but few eggs at a time, and these are "usually deposited during the ecdysis, the exuviæ serving as a protection to them during the process of hatching."

From Marvels of Pond-life A Year's Microscopic Recreations by Slack, Henry J.