prehensile Hear it!

prehensile definition

pre·hen·sile (prē hen′səl; chiefly Brit, -sīl′)

adjective

adapted for seizing or grasping, esp. by wrapping or folding around something, as the tail of certain monkeys

Etymology: Fr préhensile < L prehensus, pp. of prehendere, to take < prae-, pre- + IE base *ghend-, *ghed-, to grasp > get

Related Forms:

  • prehensility pre′·hen·sil′·ity (prē′hen sil′ə tē) noun

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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