tentacle

[ ten-tuh-kuhl ]
See synonyms for: tentacletentacles on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. Zoology. any of various slender, flexible processes or appendages in animals, especially 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 of tentacle

1
1755–65; <New Latin tentāculum, equivalent to Latin tentā(re) (variant of temptāre to feel, probe) + -culum-cule2

Other words from tentacle

  • ten·tac·u·lar [ten-tak-yuh-ler], /tɛnˈtæk yə lər/, adjective
  • ten·ta·cle·like, ten·tac·u·loid, adjective
  • in·ter·ten·tac·u·lar, adjective
  • sub·ten·tac·u·lar, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tentacle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tentacle

tentacle

/ (ˈtɛntəkəl) /


noun
  1. any of various elongated flexible organs that occur near the mouth in many invertebrates and are used for feeding, grasping, etc

  2. any of the hairs on the leaf of an insectivorous plant that are used to capture prey

  1. something resembling a tentacle, esp in its ability to reach out or grasp

Origin of tentacle

1
C18: from New Latin tentāculum, from Latin tentāre, variant of temptāre to feel

Derived forms of tentacle

  • tentacled, adjective
  • tentacle-like or tentaculoid (tɛnˈtækjʊˌlɔɪd), adjective
  • tentacular (tɛnˈtækjʊlə), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for tentacle

tentacle

[ tĕntə-kəl ]


  1. A narrow, flexible, unjointed part extending from the body of certain animals, such as an octopus, jellyfish, or sea anemone. Tentacles are used for feeling, grasping, or moving.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.