[mass noun](Biochemistry)a fibrous substance consisting of polysaccharides, which is the major constituent in the exoskeleton of arthropods and the cell walls of fungi (生化)几丁质,甲多糖,壳多糖,甲壳质
派生 chitinous adjective 语源
mid 19th cent.: from French chitine, formed irregularly from Greek khitōn (see chiton)