rhizoverbBeta
DictionarycarapaceProtective outer shell
noun

carapace

KAIR-uh-pays/ˈkærəpeɪs/

A hard outer shell that protects an animal's body.

The turtle withdraws its head beneath its hard carapace.

A single tortoise seen from a slightly elevated three-quarter angle, with its large domed, scute-covered shell dominant and its head and legs partly withdrawn beneath the protective rim.
Etymology
carapaceFrenchtortoise shell

French carapace meant “tortoise shell,” the protective covering that English names in turtles and other animal groups. The word’s deeper origin is uncertain.

In context

Montana State University Library44:35
you have the protective carapace of the crab
MSU Library Trout & Salmonid Lecture 2019 - Henry Hughes

More examples

  • The crab's carapace protects its upper body.
  • A patterned carapace covers the tortoise.
  • The researcher measures each lobster's carapace.

Forms

carapace · carapaces

Similar words

shell
The broader term for a hard outer covering.
exoskeleton
The entire external supporting skeleton rather than a specific upper shell.