Word of the Day

: May 27, 2010

vibrissa

noun vye-BRISS-uh

What It Means

1 : one of the stiff hairs that are located especially about the nostrils or on other parts of the face in many mammals and that often serve as tactile organs

2 : one of the bristly feathers near the mouth of many and especially insectivorous birds that may help to prevent the escape of insects

vibrissa in Context

The manatee’s prehensile lips are studded with vibrissae that it uses to discriminate between food plants and also to manipulate those plants.

Did You Know?

The whiskers of a cat qualify as vibrissae (that’s the plural of "vibrissa"), as do the hairlike feathers around the bill of some birds -- especially the insect-feeding kind. And when scientists first used "vibrissa" in the late 17th century, they used the word to refer specifically to the hairs inside the human nostril. Science got this word, as it has many others, from Latin. "Vibrissa" comes from "vibrare," which means all of the following: "to brandish," "to wave," "to rock," and "to propel suddenly." Other "vibrare" descendents in English include "vibrate," "vibrato," and "veer."