byssus

[ bis-uhs ]

noun,plural bys·sus·es, bys·si [bis-ahy]. /ˈbɪs aɪ/.
  1. Zoology. a collection of silky filaments by which certain mollusks attach themselves to rocks.

  2. an ancient cloth, thought to be of linen, cotton, or silk.

Origin of byssus

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin <Greek býssos a fine cotton or linen <Semitic; compare Hebrew būts

Other words from byssus

  • bys·sa·ceous [bih-sey-shuhs], /bɪˈseɪ ʃəs/, byssoid, adjective
  • byssal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for byssus

byssus

/ (ˈbɪsəs) /


nounplural byssuses or byssi (ˈbɪsaɪ)
  1. a mass of strong threads secreted by a sea mussel or similar mollusc that attaches the animal to a hard fixed surface

Origin of byssus

1
C17: from Latin, from Greek bussos linen, flax, ultimately of Egyptian origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012