exuviae means the coverings of an animal that have been shed or cast off, particularly the molted exoskeletons of arthropods. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why this word is great
EXUVIAE — [Noun] The cast-off coverings, such as skins, shells, or exoskeletons, of an animal, especially after molting. Learned borrowing from Latin exuviae ("things stripped off"), from exuō ("to cast off, strip"). Unlike "carrion," which signifies the corruptible flesh of the dead, or "spoil," which implies goods taken by conquest, exuviae are the hollowed, voluntary relics of a life continuing elsewhere. It is the translucent ghost of a cicada clinging to the bark; the perfect, brittle carapace of a crab left on the tide line; the delicate, entire specter of a snakeskin abandoned in the dust. To find an exuvia is to hold a receipt of survival—the tangible proof that growth is a series of deliberate abandonments.
noun
- The coverings of an animal that have been shed or cast off, particularly the molted exoskeletons of arthropods.
- Among the Ancient Romans, weaponry and equipment stripped from the person of a foe; booty.