Word Study
vibrissa
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Noun vibrissa has 1 sense
- vibrissa(n = noun.animal) sensory hair, whisker - a long stiff hair growing from the snout or brow of most mammals as e.g. a cat; Array is a kind of hair
CIDE DICTIONARY
vibrissa, n. [L. vibrissae, pl., the hairs in the nostrils of man, fr. vibrare to vibrate; -- so called because touching them tickles a person, and causes him to shake his head.].
- One of the specialized or tactile hairs which grow about the nostrils, or on other parts of the face, in many animals, as the so-called whiskers of the cat, and the hairs of the nostrils of man. [1913 Webster]
- The bristlelike feathers near the mouth of many birds. [1913 Webster]
For further exploring for "vibrissa" in Webster Dictionary Online
