Meaning & use
chitin
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Meaning
noununcountablebiology
A hard, flexible natural material that makes up the outer shell of insects and crabs and the cell walls of fungi.
Grammar: Uncountable: made of chitin, not a chitin.
Patterns
- made of chitin
- chitin in something
The beetle's hard shell is made of chitin.
Fungi build their cell walls from chitin.
Scientists extract chitin from crab shells.
Common combinations
- made of chitin
- The shell is made of chitin.
- chitin exoskeleton
- A chitin exoskeleton protects the insect.
- chitin in fungi
- Chitin in fungi makes cell walls strong.
- chitin-based
- Chitin-based materials are used in bandages.
- extract chitin
- Labs extract chitin from shrimp shells.
Word family
- chitinous adjective
- made of or like chitin
- chitosan noun
- a substance made from chitin
- chitinase noun
- an enzyme that breaks down chitin
Commonly confused: chitin or keratin? chitin or cellulose?
chitin vs keratin
Keratin is the protein in hair, nails and horns, whereas chitin is the material in insect and crab shells.
chitin vs cellulose
Cellulose is the main material of plant cell walls and chitin is found in fungi and animals.
Practice
Which animal part is made mostly of chitin?
Choose one answer.
Insect shells are made of chitin. Whiskers and feathers are made of keratin.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chitin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.