ecdysis

[ ek-duh-sis ]

noun

, plural ec·dy·ses [ek, -d, uh, -seez].

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

ecdysis

/ ˈɛkdɪsɪs /

noun

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

Derived Forms

• ecˈdysial, adjective

Other Words From

• ec·dys·i·al [ek-, diz, -ee-, uh, l, -, dizh, -, -, dizh, -, uh, l], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ecdysis¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ecdysis¹

C19: New Latin, from Greek ekdusis, from ekduein to strip, from ek- ex- ¹+ duein to put on

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

Mencken in 1940, from the Greek ecdysis, meaning “a stripping or casting off.”

From Seattle Times

The growth of an insect is usually rapid, and as the cuticle does not share therein, it is from time to time cast off by moulting or ecdysis.

From Project Gutenberg

It would be unfortunate were it not so, for growth involves ecdysis, and growth is the law of nature.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus in the life-story of an insect or other arthropod, such as a lobster, a spider, or a centipede, there must be a succession of cuticle-castings—'moults' or ecdyses as they are often called.

From Project Gutenberg