antenna

noun

an·​ten·​na an-ˈte-nə How to pronounce antenna (audio)
plural antennae an-ˈte-(ˌ)nē How to pronounce antenna (audio) or antennas
1
plural antennae : one of a pair of slender, movable, segmented sensory organs on the head of insects, myriapods, and crustaceans see insect illustration
2
: a usually metallic device (such as a rod or wire) for radiating or receiving radio waves
a TV antenna
3
antennae plural : a special sensitivity or receptiveness
… his political antennae proved to be shrewder than ever.Erich Segal
antennal adjective

Did you know?

The Latin word antenna meant “sail yard,” which is the long spar that supports and spreads the sail on a sailing vessel. The Greek word for a sail yard was keraia, but that was only one meaning of this word. The primary meaning was “horn.” The philosopher Aristotle used keraiai to describe the feelers of insects, probably because of their resemblance to the horns of some larger animals. In a Latin translation of Aristotle’s work made during the Renaissance, the word antennae was used for Greek keraiai. In English we still use antennae for insects’ feelers. And now we also use antenna for the metal rods that pick up radio waves and seem to “feel the air” like the antennae of an insect.

Examples of antenna in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The package also included a wanted sign and crossed antennas. Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 26 Sep. 2024 Gen 2 Type-A port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a 2.5G LAN port, Wi-Fi antennas, an optical port, HD audio connectors, one HDMI 2.1 port and three DisplayPorts (1.4a). Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024 Clipper, equipped with its own magnetometer (and, hopefully, a more reliable antenna) is the spacecraft that will provide complete confidence. science.org, 19 Sep. 2024 Inside are four high-performance antennas, a quad-core 1.5 GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 128MB of flash memory. PCMAG, 18 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for antenna 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antenna.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, from Latin, sail yard

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of antenna was in 1698

Dictionary Entries Near antenna

Cite this Entry

“Antenna.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antenna. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

antenna

noun
an·​ten·​na an-ˈten-ə How to pronounce antenna (audio)
plural antennae -ˈten-(ˌ)ē How to pronounce antenna (audio) or antennas
1
plural usually antennae : one of a pair of slender movable organs of sensation on the head of an arthropod (as an insect or a crab) that are made up of segments
2
plural usually antennas : a device (as a rod or wire) for sending or receiving radio waves

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