Showing results for cercus. Search instead for cervus.

cercus

American

[sur-kuhs, ker-] / ˈsɜr kəs, ˈkɛr- /

noun

one of a pair of appendages at the rear of the abdomen of certain insects and other arthropods, serving as tactile organs.

cercus British

/ ˈsɜːkəs /

noun

one of a pair of sensory appendages at the tip of the abdomen of some insects and other arthropods

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

cercal

adjective

Etymology

Origin of cercus

1820–30; < New Latin < Greek kérkos tail

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023