pensile

[ pen-sahyl, -sil ]

See synonyms for pensile on Thesaurus.com

adjective

hanging, as the nests of certain birds.
building a hanging nest.

Origin of pensile

1595–1605; <Latin pēnsilis hanging down, equivalent to pēns(us) past participle of pendēre to hang (equivalent to pend- verb stem + -tus past participle suffix, with dt>s) + -ilis-ile

Words Nearby pensile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pensile in a sentence

Their nests, which are semi-pensile, are often placed in giant yucca trees, or in vines that are suspended from cacti.
Bird Guide: Land Birds East of the Rockies | Chester A. (Chester Albert) Reed
Their nests are semi-pensile and usually placed in mesquite trees not more than ten or fifteen feet from the ground.
Bird Guide: Land Birds East of the Rockies | Chester A. (Chester Albert) Reed
That long black wasp, commonly called a Jack Spaniard, builds pensile paper nests under every roof and shed.
At Last | Charles Kingsley
The Philippine and pensile Grosbeak make also very curious nests.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 13, No. 361, Supplementary Issue (1829) | Various
Four or five weeping-willows, their stems leaning towards the grave, hang their pensile branches over it.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction | Various

British Dictionary definitions for pensile

pensile

/ (ˈpɛnsaɪl) /

adjective

ornithol designating or building a hanging nest: pensile birds

Origin of pensile

C17: from Latin pensilis hanging down, from pendēre to hang

Derived forms of pensile

pensility (pɛnˈsɪlɪtɪ) or pensileness, noun

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

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