proboscis

noun

pro·​bos·​cis prə-ˈbä-səs  -ˈbä-skəs 

plural proboscises also proboscides prə-ˈbä-sə-ˌdēz 

1

a

: the trunk of an elephant

also : any long flexible snout

b

: the human nose especially when prominent

2

: any of various elongated or extensible tubular processes (such as the sucking organ of a butterfly) of the oral region of an invertebrate

Illustration of proboscis

• P proboscis 2

Synonyms

• beak
• conk [chiefly British slang]
• honker [slang]
• neb
• nose
• nozzle [slang]
• schnoz [slang]
• schnozz
• schnozzle [slang]
• smeller
• snoot
• snout

Examples of proboscis in a Sentence

if there were a direct relation between mendacity and the length of one's proboscis, hers would be a mile long

Recent Examples on the Web

This practice evolved into Cootie, the game in which kids assemble plastic insects with fiddlehead-fern-like proboscises, which was introduced nationwide in 1949 and is still manufactured today. —Bruce Handy, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2025

In the center of the contraption, a PVC pipe hung down and curled under itself like a great proboscis. —Matthew Sherrill, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025

That needle-like bite comes from what’s called a proboscis. —Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2024

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the sweet trigger caused the simulation to send signals that would extend the proboscis, and the bitter one didn’t. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek proboskis, from pro- + boskein to feed

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing proboscis

• proboscis monkey

Rhymes for proboscis

• colossus

Kids Definition

proboscis

noun

pro·​bos·​cis prə-ˈbäs-əs  -kəs 

plural proboscises also proboscides -ˈbäs-ə-ˌdēz 

1

: a long flexible snout

especially : the trunk of an elephant

2

: a long tube-shaped bodily part (as the sucking organ of a butterfly) in the mouth region of an invertebrate

Medical Definition

proboscis

noun

pro·​bos·​cis prə-ˈbäs-əs  -kəs 

plural proboscises also proboscides -ˈbäs-ə-ˌdēz 

: any of various elongated or extensible tubular organs or processes especially of the oral region of an invertebrate: as

a

: a sucking organ of insects (as houseflies or mosquitoes) that is often also adapted for piercing

b

: one of the complex protrusible holdfasts on the scolex of certain tapeworms