antenna

noun

an·ten·na | \ an-ˈte-nə

plural antennae\ an-ˈte-(ˌ)nē

\ or antennas

Definition of antenna

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

Other Words from antenna Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about antenna

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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 Even the latest estimate could be overly optimistic, data from the antenna-sprouting platforms have suggested. — Warren Cornwall, Science | AAAS, "Rerouting the Mississippi River could build new land—and save a retreating coast," 22 Apr. 2021 This $30 indoor antenna from Amazon will pick up your local ABC affiliate (and most other major networks) for free. — Tim Chan, Rolling Stone, "Oscars 2021 Live Stream: How to Watch the 93rd Academy Awards Online," 21 Apr. 2021 The headset, which will be releasing May 10th, 2021, will have a Snapdragon XR2 chipset (the same chip Oculus 2 has), three IPD adjustments, four wide-angle cameras for positioning and capturing, a curved 90Hz screen, and a WiFi 6 antenna. — Charlie Fink, Forbes, "This Week In XR: Fortnite’s Billion Dollar Metaverse, Surgical Robots, XR Art And Immersive Concerts," 16 Apr. 2021 If more power is needed, a bigger antenna can be used. — The Economist, "Energy harvesting 5G phone networks could provide power as well as communications," 14 Apr. 2021 While harvesting enough power from 5G is possible with gargantuan antennas, researchers managed to come up with their own antenna system in a much smaller package. — Yoni Heisler, BGR, "Crazy new device uses 5G signals in the air to charge your gadgets," 4 Apr. 2021 In order to observe Apophis and remove it from the risk list, astronomers used the Deep Space Network's Goldstone radio antenna near Barstow, California. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Asteroid Apophis won't impact Earth for at least a century, NASA finds," 27 Mar. 2021 One chemical caused a reliable reaction in every antenna. — Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine, "Extremely Rare Orchid Tricks Horny Beetles Into Carrying Its Pollen," 25 Mar. 2021 That, along with running the antenna’s data-and-power cable into his home, was the hardest part. — Christopher Mims, WSJ, "Elon Musk and Amazon Are Battling to Put Satellite Internet in Your Backyard," 20 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'antenna.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.