vibrissa
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vi·bris·sa
(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.
[From Late Latin vibrissae, nostril hairs, from vibrāre, to vibrate; see vibrate.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
vibrissa
(vaɪˈbrɪsə)n (usually plural) , pl -sae (-siː)
1. (Zoology) any of the bristle-like sensitive hairs on the face of many mammals; whisker
2. (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
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
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.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  vibrissa - a long stiff hair growing from the snout or brow of most mammals as e.g. a cathair - a filamentous projection or process on an organism |
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