ˈkīt ə n, -ˌtän noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek chitōn tunic, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew kuttōneth coat, Syriac kettānā linen, Assyro-Babylonian kitū, kitinnu linen
1. capitalized : a large genus (the type of the family Chitonidae) of mollusks of the order Polyplacophora (class Amphineura) having the girdle covered with imbricating scales, no eyes, and gills extending the length of the foot
2. -s : a mollusk of the order Polyplacophora
3. -s
[Greek chitōn ]
: the basic garment of ancient Greece worn usually knee-length by men and full-length by women and made in two styles:
a. : an oblong of usually wool cloth with a wide turndown at the top to form a double waist, folded in half about the body, pinned once on each shoulder with a fibula, and girdled at the waist in the Doric style
b. : a garment usually of wool or linen differing from the Doric in being fuller and more elaborate and in having sewn sides and sleeves formed by a series of pins along the upper fold in the later Ionic style