prehensile

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   adapted for grasping especially by wrapping around an object

   A monkey's prehensile tail.

2. 2
   adj

   having a keen intellect

   Poets--those gifted strangely prehensile men- A.T.Quiller-Couch.

3. 3
   adj

   Able to take hold of and clasp objects; adapted for grasping especially by wrapping around an object.

   Some monkeys have prehensile tails which they use to pick things up.

4. 4
   adj

   immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth

Borrowed from French préhensile, from Latin perfect passive participle prehēnsus, from prehendō (“grasp, seize”) + adjective suffix -ile, from Latin -ilis.

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