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proboscis definition

pro·bos·cis (prō bäs′is)

noun pl. proboscises -·cises or proboscides -·ci·des′ (-ə dēz′)

  1. an elephant's trunk, or a long, flexible snout, as of a tapir
  2. any tubular organ for sucking, food-gathering, sensing, etc., as of some insects, worms, and mollusks
  3. a person's nose, esp. if large: a jocular usage

Etymology: L < Gr proboskis < pro-, before + boskein, to feed, graze, prob. akin to bous, cow

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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