Definition

1. Noun:
   • Exuvia; slough; cast skin: The shed outer skin or shell of an animal, particularly of a reptile (like a snake) or an arthropod (like an insect or crustacean), which is discarded during the process of molting or ecdysis.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tôi tìm thấy một cái xác lột của con rắn trong vườn. (I found a snake's slough in the garden.)
  • Xác lột của ve sầu thường bám trên thân cây. (The exuviae of cicadas often cling to tree trunks.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "xác lột" is primarily used in zoological or biological contexts to describe the physical remains after molting. It is a neutral, scientific term.

Variants and Related Words

• Lột xác (v): to molt; to shed skin. This is the verb form describing the action.
  • Con rắn đang lột xác. (The snake is molting.)

Synonyms

• Exuviae: (formal, zoology) the cast-off skins or coverings of animals.
• Slough: the skin shed by a snake or other reptile.
• Cast skin: a more descriptive general term.
• Molt: (can be used as a noun in some contexts, e.g., "a snake's molt").

Notes on Usage

• "Xác lột" is a compound noun. The word "xác" means "corpse" or "remains," and "lột" means "to peel" or "to strip off." Together, they literally mean "stripped-off remains."
• It refers specifically to the empty, inanimate object left behind. It is not used metaphorically for personal transformation in the way the verb "lột xác" sometimes is.