elytron C2 Topic:Animals US /ˈɛl.ɪˌtrɑːn/ UK /ˈɛl.ɪˌtrɒn/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun one of the hardened front wings of a beetle or similar insect that covers and protects the flight wings The beetle lifted one elytron before unfolding its delicate hindwing. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · one of the hardened front... wing casewing cover Word family Forms elytra Derived forms elytroidelytrous Related forms beetleforewinghindwing Etymology From New Latin, from Ancient Greek elytron 'sheath or covering', related to a verb meaning 'to wrap'. The name refers to the hardened forewing's role as a protective case. Topics Animals External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # elytron **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈɛl.ɪˌtrɑːn/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈɛl.ɪˌtrɒn/ ## Meanings 1. one of the hardened front wings of a beetle or similar insect that covers and protects the flight wings ## Examples - The beetle lifted one elytron before unfolding its delicate hindwing. ## Synonyms - wing case - wing cover ## Derived Forms - elytroid - elytrous ## Related Forms - beetle - forewing - hindwing ## Etymology From New Latin, from Ancient Greek elytron 'sheath or covering', related to a verb meaning 'to wrap'. The name refers to the hardened forewing's role as a protective case. ## Topics - Animals markdown