vibrissa
9.9
A long stiff hair near an animal's nose that senses touch and air movement
- noun
- /vaɪˈbrɪsə/
- Specialized
:
vibrisa
- Rats use their vibrissa to navigate through dark spaces.
Examples
-
A dog can detect smells using its long vibrissa on its muzzle.
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posted by Vibrissa at 1:33 PM on August 3, 2011
Blog text (7) -
The cat's vibrissa twitched as it sensed movement nearby.
Synonyms
whisker
vsvibrissa
37
1.9
A long stiff hair on an animal's face that helps it feel things
is the more technical term for the same sensitive tactile hair
sensory hair
vsvibrissa
6.5
A long stiff hair near an animal's nose or eyes that senses nearby movement
is narrower and applies only to certain mammals rather than most
How Sensitive
Surface Forms
Etymology
Vibrissa comes from the Latin verb vibrāre, which means 'to shake' or 'to move quickly', and is the same root as the English word vibrate. So, a vibrissa is a long, stiff whisker that senses tiny movements in the air or water by slightly vibrating, helping animals feel their surroundings.