byssus
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byssus
- /ˈbɪsəs/
Rhymes with -ɪsəs
Where it comes from
From Latin byssus, from Ancient Greek βύσσος (bússos, “flax; flax cotton”), from a Semitic source cognate to Hebrew בּוּץ (būṣ, “byssus”) and Aramaic בּוּצָא (būṣā, “byssus”)
noun byssi · byssuses
- The long fine silky filaments excreted by several mollusks (particularly Pinna nobilis) by which they attach themselves to the sea bed, and from which sea silk is manufactured.
- Sea silk manufactured from these filaments. This peculiar material is called byssus, and it's a counterexample, sort of, to the claim that no commercial fibers come from mollusks. Byssus is the fiber made by clams and mussels to glue themselves to rocks underwater.
- The stipe or stem of some fungi which are particularly thin and thread-like.
Translations
Talk about this word "byssus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/byssus. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. byssus. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/byssus "byssus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/byssus.Cite this
@misc{byssus_2026,
title = {byssus},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/byssus},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
