vibrissa
Americannoun
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vibrissae
plural
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one of the stiff, bristly hairs growing about the mouth of certain animals, as a whisker of a cat.
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one of the long, slender, bristlelike feathers growing along the side of the mouth in many birds.
noun
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any of the bristle-like sensitive hairs on the face of many mammals; a whisker
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any of the specialized bristle-like feathers around the beak in certain insectivorous birds
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vibrissae
plural
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Any of the long, stiff, bristlelike hairs that project from the snout or brow of most mammals, as the whiskers of a cat or rat. Vibrissae often serve as tactile organs, especially in nocturnal animals and marine mammals such as seals and manatees.
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Any of several long modified feathers that grow along the sides of the beak of certain birds and help trap insects caught in flight.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of vibrissa
First recorded 1685–95; from Late Latin, derivative of Latin vibrāre “to shake”
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.
See Examples For:
Known formally as a vibrissa, a whisker is longer and thicker than normal cat hair.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 2, 2024
All the contours, joints, vibrissa, hairs and feelers are there.
From Time Magazine Archive
These vibrissae help to compensate for a cat’s less-than-stellar close vision.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 2, 2024
The idea that our nose hairs, known medically as vibrissae, might offer protection against infectious germs goes back more than a century.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 1, 2021
Along with insulation, hair can serve as a sensory mechanism via specialized hairs called vibrissae, better known as whiskers.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
Hair also serves as a sensory mechanism through specialized hairs called vibrissae, better known as whiskers.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013
“I thought that the vibrissae about my nostrils detected something unique while I was outside.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
