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Main Entry: chiâ˘tin
Pronunciation: \ËkÄŤ-tÉn\
Function: noun
Etymology: French chitine, from Greek chitĹn
Date: circa 1839
: a horny polysaccharide (C8H13NO5)n that forms part of the hard outer integument especially of insects, arachnids, and crustaceans
â chiâ˘tinâ˘ous \ËkÄŤ-tÉn-És, ËkÄŤt-nÉs\ adjective
(After reading Scientific American for over 40 years, I already knew what chitin is and how itâs pronounced. What I didnât know was that it is a polysaccharide and that it also forms the cell walls of some fungi. Hey, SOMEBODY has to care about such things!)
Well, I didnât have to look up âchitinâ, either - And whether ants are or have âfleshâ depends on how you define âfleshâ. To most folks, itâs the outer integument⌠(and thereâs another $64,000 word for you to look up!); to others, itâs anything thatâs not bone - including nerve tissue. Then there are religious definitions⌠which is where the origin of Anteaterâs resolution lies - âTemptations of the Fleshâ = reproductive activity for pleasureâŚ
I was going to resist the temptation of gloating, but since Grog specifically asked âWho didnât have to look up chitin?â I have to say that I have known the word since I was a teen, and thatâs been a few decades, now.
And I agree with RadioTom. I would judge that what lies within the antâs shell/exoskeleton would certainly qualify as flesh. But maybe the anteater spit that part out?
Thanks to MontanaLady, it now makes more sense. My initial reaction was that âchitinâ was slang for cheating.
Now I know itâs either a horny polysaccharide that forms part of the hard outer integument especially of insects, arachnids, and crustaceans or a tough, protective, semitransparent substance, primarily a nitrogen-containing polysaccharide, forming the principal component of arthropod exoskeletons and the cell walls of certain fungi.
Either way, Iâm guessing the anteater spits out the hard chitin and sucks up the juicy inner body of the ant.
(c:
Iâm inclined to side with those who say chitin is not flesh, but I also agree that itâs open to interpretation. I could reintroduce the subject of whether fish is considered âmeatâ that we chewed over (so to speak) in another strip a few weeks ago, and state that ants are âneither fish, nor flesh, nor fowlâ, but that wouldnât convince anyone whose mind is already made up.
Of course, back in the days when Crayola included âFleshâ as one of their crayon colors, it was certainly intended to resemble the human (Caucasian) epidermis, and not to look like muscle tissueâŚ
grog said: âWho didnât have to look up chitin?â
I didnât. I wonder how many people here know that in addition to being a term for an insectâs exoskeleton, a chiton (ĎΚĎĎν) is also the common garment worn by both men and women in ancient Greece? It was the precourser to the Roman toga.
I knew âchitinâ, and was vaguely aware of âchitonâ, but didnât know the two words were related etymologically (or entomologically, for that matter). But then, I never had much of a formic educationâŚ
OK, hereâs MY opportunity to âgloatâ. (Not really, but itâs good to set the record straight.)
âThe temptation of the fleshâ isnât limited theologically to sexuality, or anything like it (look up âthe works of the fleshâ in Galatians 5:19-21 and parallel passages with similar phrases). Think of such a thing as anything rooted in the body, or psychologically in the temperament, that leads in a negative direction. That includes inordinate craving for food.
itâs difficult to imagine an anteater having such an inordinate craving, though. He was designed to eat ants, chitin and all. So whatâs the problem? :) Either he or the cartoonist is just in the mood for another theological pitfall, âstriving over wordsâ. :)
Yes, i knew about both chitin and chiton and even chitlin, but I never bothered to look up the chemical formual for the first (oooh, a polysaccharide no less!) even though I wondered about it. I assumed it was some weird kind of protein, like keratin.
ksoskins almost 15 years ago
MontanaLady almost 15 years ago
Had to look up âchitinââŚ.
now this makes sense. Ha Ha Ha
Yukoner almost 15 years ago
I had to look it up too. Learned something new: the day was not wasted.
COWBOY7 almost 15 years ago
Chitin is what many do when they canât face the truth!
Joe_Minotaur almost 15 years ago
Re: Bikini Gone and soon to be forgotten.
Ooops! Premium Member almost 15 years ago
Well that is one less insect in the world.
Good Morning LoneWolfie & Grog!Dkram almost 15 years ago
And Zot is Zot
\\//_
DolphinGirl78 almost 15 years ago
That anteater looks WAY too happy⌠lol
freeholder1 almost 15 years ago
Southern anteaters love them chitinâs. Glitz, too.
dsom8 almost 15 years ago
Anteaterâs been reading the nutritional labels.
ghiamaniac almost 15 years ago
I was with MontanaLadyâŚ
had to look up the word⌠but, hey!! Itâs cool to think that one can learn something new, even from the COMICS!!!
COWBOY7 almost 15 years ago
JoeMinotaurâBikini posts are now all gone.
Good Morning LuvH8, Dogsniff & Grog
GROG Premium Member almost 15 years ago
Who didnât have to look up chitin?
Keep the ZOTS coming anteater.
Good Friday Morning, Dogsniff, Lonewolf & LuvH8
Trainwreck_1 almost 15 years ago
And when writting to the Factor donât be a Chitin
Ooops! Premium Member almost 15 years ago
Good Morning Dogsniff!
Shikamoo Premium Member almost 15 years ago
The way of the Chitin has a nice ring to it.
MisngNOLA almost 15 years ago
Your chitin heart, will make you blueâŚ(with apologies to Hank Williams, and yes I know itâs pronounced kite-in).
jpozenel almost 15 years ago
It looks like he got him on a technicality.
Wildmustang1262 almost 15 years ago
Chitin
Main Entry: chiâ˘tin Pronunciation: \ËkÄŤ-tÉn\ Function: noun Etymology: French chitine, from Greek chitĹn Date: circa 1839 : a horny polysaccharide (C8H13NO5)n that forms part of the hard outer integument especially of insects, arachnids, and crustaceans â chiâ˘tinâ˘ous \ËkÄŤ-tÉn-És, ËkÄŤt-nÉs\ adjective
A horny chitin?! Yikes!
comictator almost 15 years ago
Outer integumentâŚ. sounds like a lot of vocabulary buiding goinâ on.
But itâs only chitin-deepâunder the outer integument, ants are flesh, too.
Anteater succumbed to a deeper temptation!
pschearer Premium Member almost 15 years ago
Not to be confused with chitlins.
(After reading Scientific American for over 40 years, I already knew what chitin is and how itâs pronounced. What I didnât know was that it is a polysaccharide and that it also forms the cell walls of some fungi. Hey, SOMEBODY has to care about such things!)
RadioTom almost 15 years ago
Well, I didnât have to look up âchitinâ, either - And whether ants are or have âfleshâ depends on how you define âfleshâ. To most folks, itâs the outer integument⌠(and thereâs another $64,000 word for you to look up!); to others, itâs anything thatâs not bone - including nerve tissue. Then there are religious definitions⌠which is where the origin of Anteaterâs resolution lies - âTemptations of the Fleshâ = reproductive activity for pleasureâŚ
@pschearer - is there a fungus among us?
gocomicsmember almost 15 years ago
I was going to resist the temptation of gloating, but since Grog specifically asked âWho didnât have to look up chitin?â I have to say that I have known the word since I was a teen, and thatâs been a few decades, now.
gocomicsmember almost 15 years ago
And I agree with RadioTom. I would judge that what lies within the antâs shell/exoskeleton would certainly qualify as flesh. But maybe the anteater spit that part out?
BillyFields almost 15 years ago
Thanks to MontanaLady, it now makes more sense. My initial reaction was that âchitinâ was slang for cheating. Now I know itâs either a horny polysaccharide that forms part of the hard outer integument especially of insects, arachnids, and crustaceans or a tough, protective, semitransparent substance, primarily a nitrogen-containing polysaccharide, forming the principal component of arthropod exoskeletons and the cell walls of certain fungi. Either way, Iâm guessing the anteater spits out the hard chitin and sucks up the juicy inner body of the ant. (c:
fritzoid Premium Member almost 15 years ago
Iâm inclined to side with those who say chitin is not flesh, but I also agree that itâs open to interpretation. I could reintroduce the subject of whether fish is considered âmeatâ that we chewed over (so to speak) in another strip a few weeks ago, and state that ants are âneither fish, nor flesh, nor fowlâ, but that wouldnât convince anyone whose mind is already made up.
Of course, back in the days when Crayola included âFleshâ as one of their crayon colors, it was certainly intended to resemble the human (Caucasian) epidermis, and not to look like muscle tissueâŚ
runar almost 15 years ago
grog said: âWho didnât have to look up chitin?â
I didnât. I wonder how many people here know that in addition to being a term for an insectâs exoskeleton, a chiton (ĎΚĎĎν) is also the common garment worn by both men and women in ancient Greece? It was the precourser to the Roman toga.
jpozenel almost 15 years ago
It seems like nobody had to look up the word.
Common now, who do you think youâre chitin?
glitterygal07 almost 15 years ago
Whatâs he talking about in the third panel? :/
BananaSlug almost 15 years ago
I didnât have to look âchitinâ up either. My apologies for gloating; when you have 3 older siblings, you rarely have the chance.
fritzoid Premium Member almost 15 years ago
I knew âchitinâ, and was vaguely aware of âchitonâ, but didnât know the two words were related etymologically (or entomologically, for that matter). But then, I never had much of a formic educationâŚ
Rakkav almost 15 years ago
OK, hereâs MY opportunity to âgloatâ. (Not really, but itâs good to set the record straight.)
âThe temptation of the fleshâ isnât limited theologically to sexuality, or anything like it (look up âthe works of the fleshâ in Galatians 5:19-21 and parallel passages with similar phrases). Think of such a thing as anything rooted in the body, or psychologically in the temperament, that leads in a negative direction. That includes inordinate craving for food.
itâs difficult to imagine an anteater having such an inordinate craving, though. He was designed to eat ants, chitin and all. So whatâs the problem? :) Either he or the cartoonist is just in the mood for another theological pitfall, âstriving over wordsâ. :)
Yes, i knew about both chitin and chiton and even chitlin, but I never bothered to look up the chemical formual for the first (oooh, a polysaccharide no less!) even though I wondered about it. I assumed it was some weird kind of protein, like keratin.