English Explanatory Dictionary

proboscis

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An elongated tube from the head or connected to the mouth, of an animal.
  2. The tubular feeding and sucking organ of certain invertebrates like insects, worms and molluscs.
  3. The trunk of an elephant.
  4. A large or lengthy human nose.

Pronunciation

/pɹə(ʊ)ˈbɒs(k)ɪs/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-proboscis.wav /pɹoʊˈbɑs(k)ɪs/ /pɹoʊˈbɒs(k)ɪs/ /pɹəʉˈbɔs(k)ɪs/ /pɹɐʉˈbɒs(k)əs/ [pɹɐʉˈbɔ̟s(k)əs]

Word forms

proboscis proboscises proboscides probosces

Etymology

From Latin proboscis, from Ancient Greek προβοσκίς (proboskís, “elephant's trunk”) literally "means for taking food," from προ- (pro-, “before”) + βόσκω (bóskō, “to nourish, feed”), from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷeh₃- from which also comes βοτάνη (botánē, “grass, fodder”).

Derived words

probosciform proboscislike proboscis monkey proboscis worm

Translations

Arabic: خُرْطُوم Armenian: կնճիթ Bulgarian: хобот Catalan: probòscide Chinese Mandarin: 長鼻 /长鼻 Chinese Mandarin: 吻 Chinese Mandarin: 象鼻 Czech: sosák Dutch: slurf Esperanto: rostro Finnish: imukärsä Finnish: kärsä French: trompe French: proboscide German: Rüssel Hebrew: חֵדֶק Hungarian: ormány Hungarian: pödörnyelv Ido: rostro Irish: próboscas Italian: proboscide Japanese: 吻 Norwegian Bokmål: snabel Norwegian Nynorsk: snabel Occitan: proboscide Polish: ssawka Portuguese: probóscide Portuguese: probóscida Romanian: proboscidă Russian: хобото́к Russian: хо́бот Slovak: cuciak Spanish: probóscide Swedish: snabel Ottoman Turkish: خرطوم Ukrainian: хобото́к Volapük: probod Volapük: sugaprobod Welsh: trwnc Welsh: sugnydd
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