antenna

[an-ten-uh]

noun

plural

antennas, antennae 

1. a conductor by which electromagnetic waves are sent out or received, consisting commonly of a wire or set of wires; aerial.

2. Zoology.,  one of the jointed, movable, sensory appendages occurring in pairs on the heads of insects and most other arthropods.

antenna

/ ænˈtɛnə /

noun

1. one of a pair of mobile appendages on the heads of insects, crustaceans, etc, that are often whiplike and respond to touch and taste but may be specialized for swimming or attachment

2. another name for aerial

antenna

1. One of a pair of long, slender, segmented appendages on the heads of insects, centipedes, millipedes, and crustaceans. Most antennae are organs of touch, but some are sensitive to odors and other stimuli.

2. A metallic device for sending or receiving electromagnetic waves, such as radio waves. Some antennas can send waves in or receive waves from all directions; others are designed to work only in a range of directions.

Other Word Forms

• antennal adjective
• postantennal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of antenna¹

1640–50; < Latin: a sailyard

Word History and Origins

Origin of antenna¹

C17: from Latin: sail yard, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Although everyday antennas easily detect radio waves, the signals from this ancient era are blocked by Earth's atmosphere.

Read more on Science Daily

"We hope to further clarify the structural characteristics of carotenoids that increase quenching efficiency, ultimately enabling the molecular design of pigments that optimize photosynthetic antennae," Fujii said.

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"My antenna goes up when things like that happen," he told analysts.

Read more on BBC

The new radar, the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, is designed to track threats from any direction, with antenna arrays at the front and back.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“My antenna goes up,” when things like that happen, he said.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• receiver 
• wire 

When To Use

Plural word for antenna

The plural form of antenna can be either antennas or antennae, pronounced [ an-ten-ee ], depending on the meaning of the term. When used in the sense of "a conductor by which electromagnetic waves are sent out or received," the correct plural form is antennas. When used to describe the sensory appendages of organisms in the field of zoology, the correct plural form is antennae. The plural form of several other singular words ending in -a are also formed in this way, as in camera/cameras, pajama/pajamas, and pizza/pizzas. Irregular nouns whose plurals are formed like antennae, such as larva/larvae and fauna/faunae, derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin.