Dictionary

crypsis en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (General-American) audio
• /ˈkɹɪpsɪs/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. (uncountable) The ability of an organism to avoid observation.
   • 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. 2013 May-June, William E. Conner, “An Acoustic Arms Race”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, pages 206–7:

Relateds

cryptic · mimicry