exoskeleton

noun

exo·​skel·​e·​ton ˌek-sō-ˈske-lə-tən 

1

: an external supportive covering of an animal (such as an arthropod)

2

: bony or horny parts of a vertebrate produced from epidermal tissues

3

: an artificial external supporting structure

exoskeletal

ˌek-sō-ˈske-lə-tᵊl 

adjective

Examples of exoskeleton in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yes, tourists are tackling the 5,000-foot-tall Mount Tai in Shandong Province using high-tech exoskeletons to make hiking a breeze. —Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 15 Feb. 2025

Arthropods—whether crabs or cockroaches—developed their own version: joints in their exoskeletons that allow these creatures to bend and scuttle. —Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2025

In a paper published in Nature Communications in late December 2023, researchers report that Matabele ants can distinguish between peers with infected and uninfected wounds, potentially due to a difference in the hydrocarbon profile of their exoskeletons. —Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024

Researchers developed a cheap and effective sponge-like filter to remove microplastics from water using cellulose fibers from cotton and chitin from squid exoskeletons. —Alex Knapp, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

exoskeleton

noun

exo·​skel·​e·​ton ˌek-sō-ˈskel-ət-ᵊn 

: a hard supporting or protective structure (as of an insect, spider, or crustacean) on the outside of the body

Medical Definition

exoskeleton

noun

exo·​skel·​e·​ton ˌek-sō-ˈskel-ət-ᵊn 

1

: an external supportive covering of an animal (as the system of sclerites covering the body of an insect) compare endoskeleton

2

: bony or horny parts (as nails, hooves, or scales) of a vertebrate produced from epidermal tissues

exoskeletal

-ət-ᵊl 

adjective