tentacle — 1762, from Mod.L. tentaculum feeler, from L. tentare to feel, try (variant of temptare to feel, try, test ) + culum, diminutive suffix … Etymology dictionary
tentacle — ► NOUN ▪ a long slender flexible appendage of an animal, used for grasping or moving about, or bearing sense organs. DERIVATIVES tentacled adjective tentacular adjective. ORIGIN Latin tentaculum, from temptare to feel, try … English terms dictionary
tentacle — [ten′tə kəl] n. [ModL tentaculum < L tentare, to touch: see TENT2] 1. any of a variety of long, slender, flexible growths, as about the head or mouth of some invertebrate animals, used variously for grasping, feeling, moving, etc. 2. Bot. any… … English World dictionary
Tentacle — Tentacles can refer to the elongated flexible organs that are present in some animals, especially invertebrates, and sometimes to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, they are used for feeding, feeling and grasping.… … Wikipedia
tentacle — UK [ˈtentək(ə)l] / US noun [countable] Word forms tentacle : singular tentacle plural tentacles one of the long thin arms of an octopus that it uses for feeling things or for moving … English dictionary
tentacle — noun Etymology: New Latin tentaculum, from Latin tentare to feel, touch more at tempt Date: circa 1762 1. any of various elongate flexible usually tactile or prehensile processes borne by animals and especially invertebrates chiefly on the head… … New Collegiate Dictionary
tentacle — noun An elongated, boneless, flexible organ or limb of some animals, such as the octopus and squid. With one blow of the axe, Captain Nemo cut this formidable tentacle, that slid wriggling down the ladder … Wiktionary
tentacle — n. 1 a long slender flexible appendage of an (esp. invertebrate) animal, used for feeling, grasping, or moving. 2 a thing used like a tentacle as a feeler etc. 3 Bot. a sensitive hair or filament. Derivatives: tentacled adj. (also in comb.).… … Useful english dictionary
Tentacle sheath — Tentacle Ten ta*cle, n. [NL. tentaculum, from L. tentare to handle, feel: cf. F. tentacule. See {Tempt}.] (Zo[ o]l.) A more or less elongated process or organ, simple or branched, proceeding from the head or cephalic region of invertebrate… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Tentacle erotica — The Dream of the Fisherman s Wife, a design by Hokusai of 1814 depicting a woman engaging in sex with a pair of octopuses … Wikipedia
