[ 'bɪsəs ]
■ noun ( plural ~es or byssi -sʌɪ )
1》 historical a fine textile fibre and fabric of flax.
2》 Zoology a tuft of tough silky filaments by which mussels and some other bivalves adhere to rocks and other objects.
Derivatives
byssal adjective
Origin
ME: from L., from Gk bussos , of Semitic origin.