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protractile

American  
[proh-trak-til, -tahyl, pruh-] / proʊˈtræk tɪl, -taɪl, prə- /

adjective

  1. capable of being protracted, lengthened, or protruded.

protractile British  
/ prəˈtræktaɪl /

adjective

  1. able to be extended or protruded

    protractile muscle
"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

  • nonprotractile adjective
  • protractility noun

Etymology

Origin of protractile

First recorded in 1820–30; protract + -ile

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.

The intermaxillaries are moderately protractile, but the lower jaw, when depressed, projects still further forward.

From Project Gutenberg

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.