crypsis

English

Etymology

Probably directly from Ancient Greek κρύψις (krúpsis, hiding, concealment); compare Latin crypsis.[1] Doublet of krypsis.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkɹɪpsɪs/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Audio (General American):(file)

Noun

crypsis (uncountable)

  1. (biology) The ability of an organism to avoid observation.
    • 2013 May-June, William E. Conner, “An Acoustic Arms Race”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, pages 206–7:
      Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close [] above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them. Many insects probably use this strategy, which is a close analogy to crypsis in the visible world—camouflage and other methods for blending into one’s visual background.

See also

References

  1. ^ crypsis, n.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.