This week’s theme
Words made with animal parts

This week’s words
rostrum
carapace
hackle
pinnacle
hightail

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(KAR-uh-pays)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A hard shell on the back of animals such as turtles, crabs, etc.
2. An attitude developed as a protective measure against something.

ETYMOLOGY:

From French carapace (shell), from Spanish carapacho (shell). Earliest documented use: 1835.

USAGE:

“Hank, played by Dean Norris, is a false man, too, his carapace of swagger and bad jokes barely covering an unmanageable anxiety.”
James Parker; ‘Til Meth Do Us Part; The Atlantic Monthly (Boston); Jul/Aug 2013.

See more usage examples of carapace in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: