Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ


Feb 17, 2006
This week's theme
Coined words

This week's words
eustasy
pangaea
McJob
locust years
prehensile

This week’s comments
AWADmail 197

Next week’s theme
Red-herring words
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

prehensile

(pri-HEN-sil, -syl) Pronunciation Sound Clip

adjective:
1. Capable of seizing or grasping, especially by wrapping around.
2. Skilled at keen perception or mental grasp of an idea or concept.
3. Greedy.

[From French prehensile, coined by French naturalist Georges Louis Leclerc De Buffon, from Latin prehensus.]

"The drugstore toothbrush rack has become a circus of ergonomic grips, flexing heads, and prehensile gum-probes -- an entire retail sector transformed by design."
Philip Nobel; Can Design in America Avoid the Style Trap?; The New York Times; Nov 26, 2000.

See more usage examples of prehensile in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

X-Bonus

To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men. -Ella Wheeler Wilcox, poet (1850-1919)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith