retractile
[ri-trak-til]
- capable of being drawn back or in, as the head of a tortoise; exhibiting the power of retraction.
Show More
Origin of retractile
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
tentaclepawfingernailtalonnippercrookhookbarbspurunguisclapperclawfangmanusgrapnelgrapplerretractileungulaExamples from the Web for retractile
Historical Examples
Tentacular -um: retractile processes on the larvae of Lepidoptera.
Explanation of Terms Used in EntomologyJohn. B. Smith
The tongue of some Hymenoptera also is retractile within the mouth.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)William Kirby
In Stenus this organ is retractile, and consists of two joints.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)William Kirby
The vermiform and retractile tongue is also a most singular organ.
Reptiles and BirdsLouis Figuier
The claws are not retractile, or at most semi-retractile as in the Panda.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., MammaliaFrank Evers Beddard
retractile
- capable of being drawn inthe retractile claws of a cat
Show More
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
retractile
(rĭ-trăk′tĭl, -tīl′)- That can be drawn back or in, as the claws of a cat.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.