vibrissae

Variant of vibrissa

vibrissa definition

vi·brissa (vī bris′ə)

noun pl. vibrissae -·sae (-ē)

  1. any of the stiff hairs growing in or near the nostrils of certain animals and often serving as organs of touch, as a cat's whiskers
  2. any of the bristlelike feathers growing near the mouth of certain insect-eating birds, as the whippoorwill

Etymology: ModL < L vibrissae, pl., akin to vibrare, to vibrate

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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