pensile
[pen-sahyl, -sil]
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for pensile
drooping, jutting, pendulous, projecting, suspended, beetling, pendent, swingingExamples from the Web for pensile
Historical Examples of pensile
They were of the species known as the “pensile weaver-bird” (Ploceus pensilis).
The Bush BoysCaptain Mayne Reid
They were of the species known as the “pensile weaver-bird.”
Popular Adventure TalesMayne Reid
There it hung, like a hermits beard, from the pensile branch.
Pictures of Southern LifeWilliam Howard Russell
Be careful to distinguish between pencil, an instrument for writing, and pensile, meaning hanging down.
Other species of Polybia build nests different in shape and arrangement, though still of the pensile character.
Insect ArchitectureJames Rennie
pensile
adjective
Word Origin for pensile
C17: from Latin pensilis hanging down, from pendēre to hang
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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