ˈstərˌnīt noun
( -s )
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary stern- + -ite
: the ventral part or shield of a somite of an arthropod ; especially : the chitinous plate that forms the ventral surface of an abdominal or occasionally a thoracic segment of an insect
• ster·nit·ic (ˈ)stər|nid.ik adjective