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Synonyms

prehensile

American  
[pri-hen-sil, -sahyl] / prɪˈhɛn sɪl, -saɪl /

adjective

  1. adapted for seizing, grasping, or taking hold of something.

    a prehensile tail.

  2. able to perceive quickly; having keen mental grasp.

  3. greedy; grasping; avaricious.

prehensile British  
/ prɪˈhɛnsaɪl, ˌpriːhɛnˈsɪlɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. adapted for grasping, esp by wrapping around a support

    a prehensile tail
"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
prehensile Scientific  
/ prē-hĕn′səl /

  1. Adapted for seizing, grasping, or holding, especially by wrapping around an object. The feet of many birds, the tails of monkeys, and the trunks of elephants are prehensile.

Other Word Forms

  • nonprehensile adjective
  • prehensility noun
  • subprehensile adjective
  • subprehensility noun

Etymology

Origin of prehensile

1781–85; < French préhensile (coined by Buffon), equivalent to Latin prehens ( us ) ( prehension ) + French -ile -ile

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.