chiton

chiton
/kuyt"n, kuy"ton/, n.
1. Also called sea cradle. a mollusk of the class Amphineura, having a mantle covered with calcareous plates, found adhering to rocks.
2. a gown or tunic, with or without sleeves, worn by both sexes in ancient Greece.
[1810-20; < Gk chitón tunic < Sem (cf. Heb kuttoneth tunic); ult. < Sumerian]

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Greek  Chitōn,  
 garment worn by Greek men and women from the Archaic period (c. 750–c. 500 BC) through the Hellenistic period (323–30 BC). Essentially a sleeveless shirt, the chiton was a rectangular piece of linen (Ionic chiton) or wool (Doric chiton) draped by the wearer in various ways and kept in place at the shoulders by brooches (fibulae) and at the waist by a belt. Excess fabric (the chiton was longer than the wearer was tall) was pulled up under the belt in blouse fashion. At all times the chiton was worn at ankle length by women.

      During the Archaic period, Greek men wore a long chiton; thereafter, except for charioteers, priests, and the elderly, they wore a knee-length version. Sleeved chitons were worn by actors and priests. Patterns and colours varied with the times and with the status of the wearer. The chiton is well illustrated in the caryatid (q.v.) porch of the Erechtheum in Athens.

      any of numerous flattened, bilaterally symmetrical marine mollusks, worldwide in distribution but most abundant in warm regions. The approximately 600 species are usually placed in the class Placophora, Polyplacophora, or Loricata (phylum Mollusca).

      Chitons are usually oval in shape. On the dorsal (upper) surface is a row of eight overlapping plates surrounded or covered by a tough girdle. Chitons use a large, flat foot for creeping along and clinging to rocks; they also have a well-developed radula (filelike structure) with which to scrape algae and other plant food from rocks. On either side of the foot is a groove containing the gills.

      About 5 cm (2 inches) is the maximum length of most chitons, but Cryptochiton stelleri, of the Pacific coast of North America, may grow to about 43 cm. Chitons are very flexible and can fit snugly into rock crevices or curl into a ball when detached. They can also adhere so firmly to rocks that they may be injured when pried loose.

      Chitons, especially in warm areas, are usually found in the intertidal zone or in shallow water. In colder regions more species inhabit deeper water to about 4,000 m (13,000 feet), although some have been found to depths of 7,000 m. Most are nocturnal in habit. The tremendous numbers of free-swimming young (trochophores) are an important element in the marine plankton.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • chiton — [ kitɔ̃ ] n. m. • chitonisque 1753; mot gr.→ chitine 1 ♦ Tunique grecque, dans l Antiquité. 2 ♦ Zool. Mollusque allongé (amphineures) qui adhère aux rochers et aux coquilles grâce à son pied large et plat. ● chiton nom masculin (grec khitôn) En… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • chiton — CHITÓN, chitoane, s.n. Un fel de tunică purtată în antichitate de greci. – Din fr. chiton. Trimis de valeriu, 01.01.2008. Sursa: DEX 98  chitón s. n., pl. chitoáne Trimis de siveco, 30.12.2007. Sursa: Dicţionar ortografic  CHITÓN s.n. (Ant.)… …   Dicționar Român

  • Chitôn — Chiton (vêtement) Exemple de chiton féminin. Le chiton (en grec : χιτών / khitōn) est un vêtement de la Grèce antique. C est une tunique portée par les hommes comme par les femmes. D abord confectionné en laine dans les périodes les plus… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Chitōn — (griech.), das Unterkleid der Griechen, auf dem bloßen Leib getragen und oft als einziges Kleidungsstück dienend. Ein oblonges Stück Zeug wurde so zusammengelegt, daß die geschlossene Seite die eine Seite des Körpers deckte; unter ihrem obern… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Chiton — Chi ton, n. [Gr. ? a chiton (in sense 1).] 1. An under garment among the ancient Greeks, nearly representing the modern shirt. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) One of a group of gastropod mollusks, with a shell composed of eight movable dorsal plates …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ¡chitón! — interjección 1. Se usa para pedir a alguien que se calle, especialmente a los niños: ¡Chitón todo el mundo! Sinónimo: ¡chis!, ¡silencio! …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • chiton — [kī′tən, kī′tän΄] n. [Gr chitōn, garment, tunic, coat of mail: see TUNIC] 1. a loose garment of varying length, similar to a tunic, worn by both men and women in ancient Greece 2. any of a class (Polyplacophora) of mostly small, ovoid marine… …   English World dictionary

  • Chiton [1] — Chiton (gr.), der Leibrock der Griechen; der dorische war wollen, kurz u. ärmellos; der ionische länger u. leinen. Der letztere hatte entweder zwei Ärmel od. Ärmellöcher, dann hieß er Ch. amphimaschalos u. wurde von den Freien getragen; od. nur… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Chiton [2] — Chiton, so v. w. Käfermuschel …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Chiton — Chitōn (grch.), das Unterkleid der alten Griechen [Abb. 348; nach Falke, »Hellas und Rom«] …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Chiton — Chiton, das wollene griech. Unterkleid, bei den Frauen mit, bei den Männern ohne Aermel …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

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