proboscis

noun pro·bos·cis \ prə-ˈbä-səs , -ˈbä-skəs \

Updated on: 5 Apr 2018

Definition of proboscis

plural proboscises also proboscides play \prə-ˈbä-sə-ˌdēz\

1 a : the trunk of an elephant; also : any long flexible snout

b : the human nose especially when prominent

2 : any of various elongated or extensible tubular processes (such as the sucking organ of a butterfly) of the oral region of an invertebrate

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Examples of proboscis in a Sentence

if there were a direct relation between mendacity and the length of one's proboscis, hers would be a mile long

Recent Examples of proboscis from the Web

Just about every butterfly and moth that has hollow scales today has a proboscis, Mr. van Eldijk said.

— nicholas st. fleur, New York Times, "Finding the Oldest Fossils of Butterflies Using a Human Nose Hair," 10 Jan. 2018
With no flowers around, the researchers believe the primitive moths and butterflies developed the physical attributes — namely the sucking proboscis — to find nutrition from sugary water droplets from the tips of tree seeds.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "World's oldest butterfly and moth fossils discovered in 200-million-year-old 'pond scum'," 11 Jan. 2018
When a Madagascan orchid was found to have a nectar-secreting organ almost 12 inches long, Darwin predicted the existence of a moth with a proboscis long enough to reach the nectary’s depths.

— laura j. snyder, WSJ, "Review: Oliver Sacks Travels Down ‘The River of Consciousness’," 20 Oct. 2017
The assassin bug's deadly proboscis is both sword and siphon.

— smithsonianmag.com, "Why the Assassin Bug More Than Lives Up to Its Name," 30 Sep. 2017
Each butterfly uses its proboscis to ingest its meal.

— matt steecker, USA TODAY, "Hair stylist rescues monarch butterflies in her salon," 27 Sep. 2017
Beware: That proboscis of theirs can leave a painful nip.

— ellen nibali, baltimoresun.com, "Garden Q&A: Black-eyed Susans with fungal leaf spot disease," 11 July 2017
Having a big nose: structure, ontogeny, and function of the elephant seal proboscis.

— darren naish, Scientific American Blog Network, "Incredible Elephant Seals, Part 1," 3 June 2017
While one tube in the proboscis draws blood, a second pumps in saliva containing a mild painkiller and an anti-coagulant.

— karen farkas, cleveland.com, "Mosquitoes: 20 fun facts about the pesky insects," 17 May 2017

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

Illustration of proboscis

Origin and Etymology of proboscis

Latin, from Greek proboskis, from pro- + boskein to feed

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1601

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

proboscis Synonyms

Synonyms

beak, neb, nose, smeller, snoot, snout;

Related Words

pug, pugnose;

Other Insect Terms

drone, entomology, gadfly, pismire, vespine

PROBOSCIS Defined for English Language Learners

proboscis

noun

Definition of proboscis for English Language Learners

biology : the long, thin nose of some animals (such as an elephant)
biology : a long, thin tube that forms part of the mouth of some insects (such as a butterfly)
: a person's nose especially when it is very long or big