# byssus

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbɪsəs/

## Definitions
1. The long fine silky filaments excreted by several mollusks (particularly Pinna nobilis) by which they attach themselves to the sea bed, and from which sea silk is manufactured.
2. Sea silk manufactured from these filaments.
3. The stipe or stem of some fungi which are particularly thin and thread-like.

## Etymology
From New Latin byssus (“sea silk”), from Latin byssus (“fine cotton or cotton stuff, silk”), from Ancient Greek βύσσος (bússos, “a very fine yellowish flax and the linen woven from it”), from Hebrew בּוּץ (búts), Aramaic בּוּצָא (būṣā).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/byssus