Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

tentacle

 - 5 dictionary results

ten⋅ta⋅cle

  [ten-tuh-kuhl]
Use tentacle in a Sentence
–noun
1. Zoology. any of various slender, flexible processes or appendages in animals, esp. invertebrates, that serve as organs of touch, prehension, etc.; feeler.
2. Botany. a sensitive filament or process, as one of the glandular hairs of the sundew.
Origin:
1755–65; < NL tentāculum, equiv. to L tentā(re) (var. of temptāre to feel, probe) + -culum -cule 2

Related forms:
ten⋅tac⋅u⋅lar  [ten-tak-yuh-ler] , adjective
ten⋅ta⋅cle⋅like, ten⋅tac⋅u⋅loid, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tentacle
ten·ta·cle   (těn'tə-kəl)   
n.  

  1. Zoology An elongated flexible unsegmented extension, as one of those surrounding the mouth or oral cavity of the squid, used for feeling, grasping, or locomotion.

  2. Botany One of the sensitive hairs on the leaves of insectivorous plants, such as the sundew.

  3. A similar part or extension, especially with respect to the ability to grasp or stretch: an espionage network with far-reaching tentacles.


[New Latin tentāculum, from Latin tentāre, to feel, try; see tentative.]
ten·tac'u·lar (-tāk'yə-lər) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

tentacle 
1762, from Mod.L. tentaculum "feeler," from L. tentare "to feel, try" (variant of temptare "to feel, try, test") + -culum, diminutive suffix.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ten·ta·cle
Pronunciation: 'tent-i-k&l
Function: noun
: any of various elongate flexible usually tactile or prehensile processesborne by animals chiefly on the head or about the mouth; especially : one of the threadlike processes bearing nematocysts that hang down from the margin of the umbrella of manyjellyfishes
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

tentacle ten·ta·cle (těn'tə-kəl)
n.
An elongated, flexible, unsegmented extension, as one of those surrounding the mouth or oral cavity of the squid, used for feeling, grasping, or locomotion.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see tentacle on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way