ansa

American  

[an-suh] / ˈæn sə /

noun

ansae plural

1. Archaeology. a looped handle, especially of a vase.

2. Astronomy. either of the apparent extremities of the rings of Saturn or of other planets, especially when viewed from the earth or from spacecraft under certain conditions, when they look like two handles.

3. Anatomy. a loop-shaped anatomical structure, found primarily in the nervous system.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ansae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ansa

First recorded in 1400–50 (in the anatomical sense “zygomatic arch”); 1660–70 ansa for def. 2; Middle English, from Latin ānsa “handle (of a cup or jar), handle (of a door), loop, clamp”

Example Sentences

The oldest equivalent is Lat. ansatus, used by Plautus, from ansa, a jug-handle.

From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Weekley, Ernest