Byssuses

Byssuses
Byssus Bys"sus, n.; pl. E. {Byssuses}; L. {Byssi}.[L. byssus fine flax, fine linen or cotton, Gr. by`ssos .] [1913 Webster] 1. A cloth of exceedingly fine texture, used by the ancients. It is disputed whether it was of cotton, linen, or silk. [Written also {byss} and {byssin}.] [1913 Webster]

2. (Zo["o]l.) A tuft of long, tough filaments which are formed in a groove of the foot, and issue from between the valves of certain bivalve mollusks, as the {Pinna} and {Mytilus}, by which they attach themselves to rocks, etc. [1913 Webster]

3. (Bot.) An obsolete name for certain fungi composed of slender threads. [1913 Webster]

4. Asbestus. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • byss — Byssus Bys sus, n.; pl. E. {Byssuses}; L. {Byssi}.[L. byssus fine flax, fine linen or cotton, Gr. by ssos .] [1913 Webster] 1. A cloth of exceedingly fine texture, used by the ancients. It is disputed whether it was of cotton, linen, or silk.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Byssi — Byssus Bys sus, n.; pl. E. {Byssuses}; L. {Byssi}.[L. byssus fine flax, fine linen or cotton, Gr. by ssos .] [1913 Webster] 1. A cloth of exceedingly fine texture, used by the ancients. It is disputed whether it was of cotton, linen, or silk.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • byssin — Byssus Bys sus, n.; pl. E. {Byssuses}; L. {Byssi}.[L. byssus fine flax, fine linen or cotton, Gr. by ssos .] [1913 Webster] 1. A cloth of exceedingly fine texture, used by the ancients. It is disputed whether it was of cotton, linen, or silk.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Byssus — Bys sus, n.; pl. E. {Byssuses}; L. {Byssi}.[L. byssus fine flax, fine linen or cotton, Gr. by ssos .] [1913 Webster] 1. A cloth of exceedingly fine texture, used by the ancients. It is disputed whether it was of cotton, linen, or silk. [Written… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mytilus — Byssus Bys sus, n.; pl. E. {Byssuses}; L. {Byssi}.[L. byssus fine flax, fine linen or cotton, Gr. by ssos .] [1913 Webster] 1. A cloth of exceedingly fine texture, used by the ancients. It is disputed whether it was of cotton, linen, or silk.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pinna — Byssus Bys sus, n.; pl. E. {Byssuses}; L. {Byssi}.[L. byssus fine flax, fine linen or cotton, Gr. by ssos .] [1913 Webster] 1. A cloth of exceedingly fine texture, used by the ancients. It is disputed whether it was of cotton, linen, or silk.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • byssus — noun (plural byssuses or byssi) Etymology: Middle English bissus, from Latin byssus, from Greek byssos flax, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew būṣ linen cloth Date: 14th century 1. a fine probably linen cloth of ancient times 2. [ …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • byssus — n.; pl. byssi, byssuses [L. byssos, fine flax] 1. (MOLLUSCA: Bivalvia) Fibers or small bundles of silky threads by which they anchor themselves to the substratum; beard. 2. (NEMATODA: Adenophorea) A series of elaborately branched projections at… …   Dictionary of invertebrate zoology

  • byssus — byssaceous /bi say sheuhs/, byssoid, adj. byssal, adj. /bis euhs/, n., pl. byssuses, byssi /bis uy/. 1. Zool. a collection of silky filaments by which certain mollusks attach themselves to rocks. 2. an ancient cloth, thought to be of linen,… …   Universalium

  • byssus — [ bɪsəs] noun (plural byssuses 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… …   English new terms dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”