Proboscis Definition
prō-bŏsĭs, -kĭs
proboscides, proboscises
noun
proboscises
The trunk of an elephant.
Webster's New World
A long, flexible snout, as of a tapir.
Webster's New World
Any tubular organ for sucking, food-gathering, sensing, etc., as of some insects, worms, and mollusks.
Webster's New World
A person's nose, esp. if large.
Webster's New World
(anatomy) An elongated tube from the head or connected to the mouth, of an animal.
Wiktionary
Other Word Forms of Proboscis
Noun
Singular:
proboscis
Plural:
proboscides, proboscisesOrigin of Proboscis
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From Latin proboscis, from Greek προβοσκίς "elephant's trunk," literally "means for taking food," from προ "forward" + βόσκειν "to nourish, feed," from βόσκεσςθαι "graze, be fed," from the root *bot (cf. βοτάνη "grass, fodder); more at botany.
From Wiktionary
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Latin from Greek proboskis pro- in front pro–2 boskein to feed
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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