vibrissa

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   one of the long, stiff, highly sensitive hairs on the snout or face of many mammals; a whisker

   The seal used each vibrissa to detect movement in the dark water.

2. 2
   noun

   a stiff bristlelike feather near the beak of certain birds

   A facial vibrissa projected beside the nightjar's beak.

3. 3
   noun

   one of the coarse hairs just inside a mammal's nostril

   Each nasal vibrissa helps trap large particles before they enter the airway.

Borrowed from Latin vibrissae, 'nostril hairs,' of uncertain deeper origin. Anatomists adopted the singular vibrissa and plural vibrissae for stiff facial or nasal hairs, especially the sensory whiskers of mammals.

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