proboscis
Use Proboscis in a sentence
ɪs, -kɪs noun, plural pro·bos·cis·es, pro·bos·ci·des [-bos-i-deez] .
[-bos-i-deez] . 1.
the trunk of an elephant.
2.
any long flexible snout, as of the tapir.
3.
Also called beak. the elongate, protruding mouth parts of certain insects, adapted for sucking or piercing.
4.
any of various elongate feeding, defensive, or sensory organs of the oral region, as in certain leeches and worms.
5.
Facetious. the human nose, especially when unusually long or prominent.
Origin:
1570–80; < Latin < Greek proboskís elephant's trunk, literally, feeder, equivalent to pro- pro-2 + bósk(ein) to feed + -is (stem -id-) noun suffix
1570–80; < Latin < Greek proboskís elephant's trunk, literally, feeder, equivalent to pro- pro-2 + bósk(ein) to feed + -is (stem -id-) noun suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To proboscis
00:10
Proboscis
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
proboscis (prəʊˈbɒsɪs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -cises, -cides | |
| 1. | a long flexible prehensile trunk or snout, as of an elephant |
| 2. | the elongated mouthparts of certain insects, adapted for piercing or sucking food |
| 3. | any similar part or organ |
| 4. | informal, facetious a person's nose, esp if large |
| [C17: via Latin from Greek proboskis trunk of an elephant, from boskein to feed] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
proboscis
1609, "elephant's trunk," from L. proboscis (Pliny), from Gk. proboskis "elephant's trunk," lit. "means for taking food," from pro "forward" + boskein "to nourish, feed," from boskesthai "graze, be fed," from stem *bot- (cf. botane "grass, fodder;" see botany).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
| proboscis (prō-bŏs'ĭs) Pronunciation Key
Plural proboscises or proboscides (prō-bŏs'ĭ-dēz')
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Taken through a microscope, this image shows the insect's eye and proboscis.
The researchers were astonished to find clocks ticking all over the fly's body-in the wings, the legs, the proboscis.
Morphos use their long, strawlike proboscis to feed on the juices of rotting rain-forest fruits.
The bug's serrated proboscis touches the skin's nerves at fewer points than it would if smooth.
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