prehensile
Americanadjective
-
adapted for seizing, grasping, or taking hold of something.
a prehensile tail.
-
able to perceive quickly; having keen mental grasp.
-
greedy; grasping; avaricious.
adjective
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
Explanation
Prehensile means "able to grasp" and often refers to such body parts as claws, feet, and tails. Elephants curl their prehensile noses around objects in order to pick them up. Prehensile is an adjective that comes from a French word for “grasped.” Humans and other primates (like monkeys, lemurs, and gorillas) have prehensile hands with curling fingers for grasping — a definite advantage over dogs, for instance, who can’t use a pencil when poetic inspiration strikes them. Prehensile can also mean "greedy" or "grasping for riches."
Vocabulary lists containing prehensile
The Hot Zone
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
On the Origin of Species
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many also have long, prehensile tails capable of bearing their weight, which they use while climbing and reaching for fruit.
From Science Daily • May 28, 2024
Nor is it necessarily true that older political leaders invariably hang on to their seats as if with what Orwell called prehensile behinds.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2023
The prehensile tail that gives the tree-dwelling, fruit-eating species its name exists in this case in the imagination only.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 1, 2022
The prehensile tips of a regular harvestman’s legs, which Dr. Sharma compared to fingers with a hundred extra knuckles, were found to be under the control of another gene.
From New York Times • Aug. 6, 2021
It has no legs at all, just a prehensile tail coiled around the boom.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
