Byssus
Bys´sus
| n. | 1. | |
| 1. | A cloth of exceedingly fine texture, used by the ancients. It is disputed whether it was of cotton, linen, or silk. | |
| 2. | (Zool.) A tuft of long, tough filaments which are formed in a groove of the foot, and issue from between the valves of certain bivalve mollusks, as the Pinna and Mytilus, by which they attach themselves to rocks, etc. | |
| 3. | (Bot.) An obsolete name for certain fungi composed of slender threads. | |
| 4. | Asbestus. |
| Noun | 1. |  byssus - tuft of strong filaments by which e.g. a mussel makes itself fast to a fixed surfaceSynonyms: beard |