vibrissa

vi·bris·sa

V0084400 (vī-brĭs′ə, və-)n. pl. vi·bris·sae (-brĭs′ē) 1. Any of the long stiff hairs that are located chiefly on the muzzle of most mammals and that function as tactile organs, as the whiskers of a cat.2. One of several long modified feathers located at the sides of the mouth of insect-eating birds.

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[From Late Latin vibrissae, nostril hairs, from vibrāre, to vibrate; see vibrate.]

vibrissa

(vaɪˈbrɪsə) n (usually plural) , pl -sae (-siː) 1. (Zoology) any of the bristle-like sensitive hairs on the face of many mammals; whisker2. (Zoology) any of the specialized bristle-like feathers around the beak in certain insectivorous birds[C17: from Latin, probably from vibrāre to shake] viˈbrissal adj

vi•bris•sa

(vaɪˈbrɪs ə)

n., pl. -bris•sae (-ˈbrɪs i) 1. one of the stiff hairs at the sides of the mouth in some animals, as a whisker of a cat. 2. one of the similar stiff feathers at the sides of the mouth in some insect-eating birds, as the whippoorwill. [1685–95; < Medieval Latin, derivative of Latin vibrāre to shake] vi•bris′sal, adj.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

vibrissa - a long stiff hair growing from the snout or brow of most mammals as e.g. a catsensory hair, whiskerhair - a filamentous projection or process on an organism