tentacle en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈtɛntɪkəl/
- /ˈtɛntəkəl/
Etymology
From New Latin tentāculum, from tentō. Doublet of tentaculum.
Meanings
-
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.
1873, Jules Verne, “The “Devil Fish.”—Terrible Encounter.—Crushed to Death in the Arms of a Monster.—Ned Land saved by the Captain.—“Only Revenge”.”, in [anonymous], transl., Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas; […], James R. Osgood edition, Boston, Mass.: Geo[rge] M[urray] Smith & Co., →OCLC, part II, page 274:1897, H. G. Wells, The Crystal Egg The body was small, but fitted with two bunches of prehensile organs, like long tentacles, immediately under the mouth.
1936, H. P. Lovecraft, The Shadow Out of Time Surmounting this head were four slender grey stalks bearing flower-like appendages, whilst from its nether side dangled eight greenish antennae or tentacles.
- One of the glandular hairs on the leaves of certain insectivorous plants.
-
(figuratively) An insidious reach or influence.
New extensions into the outer London dormitory areas also have been constructed, and at the present moment the tentacles of London's Underground are slowly but surely extending eastwards into Essex to relieve congestion on the suburban lines of the former Great Eastern Railway.
1948 January and February, C. R. L. Coles, “The Grouping Era”, in Railway Magazine, page 21:the tentacles of the criminal underworld
- (figuratively) Something like a zoological limb.
-
(UK, historical) An officer employed to drive out to troops and transmit back requests for support via a special radio link.
A joint RAF/Army staffed Air Support Control (ASC) headquarters was established at each army corps and each armoured division, linked to the forward brigades by a 'tentacle' equipped with two-way wireless telegraphy.
2013, Dr Ian Gooderson, Air Power at the Battlefront, page 26:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| tentacles | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
microtentacle · tentaculoid · tentadick · tentabulge · tentaclelike · tentaculiform · tentaculiferous · tentacular · tentacled
Synonyms
Translations (74)
ko 촉수 (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · be шчу́пальца (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · to kave (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · de Fühler (insidious reach or influence) · ca tentacle (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · sh pípak (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · mk пипало (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · ar لامِس (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · es tentáculo (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · fr tentacule (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · sh пи́пак (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · de Tentakel (glandular hairs on leaves) · grc πλεκτάνη (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · sl lovka (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · de Tentakel (insidious reach or influence) · kk қармауыш (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · ar مِجَس (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · et kombits (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · fi lonkero (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · lv tausteklis (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · tr dokunaç (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · cs chapadlo (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · oc tentacul (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · ja 触手 (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · hi स्पर्शक (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · mi wekeweke (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · sv tentakel (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · it tentacolo (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · da fangarm (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · pt tentáculo (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · el πλοκάμι (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · ga adharcán (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · tr tentakül (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · mi patapata (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · haw ʻawe (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · gl tentáculo (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · pl macka (insidious reach or influence) · fa-ira بازوچِه (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · bg пипа́ло (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · ka საცეცი (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · bg жи́лка (glandular hairs on leaves) · nb tentakel (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · hu tapogató (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · tl galamay (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · fr tentacule (glandular hairs on leaves) · hy շոշափուկ (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · ceb gaway (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · mba gaway (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · eo tentaklo (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · ru щу́пальце (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · uk щу́пальце (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · sm ʻave (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · sh пипаљка (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · fr pieuvre (insidious reach or influence) · de Tentakel (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · vi xúc tu (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · de Fangarm (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · ro tentacul (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · sk chápadlo (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · he זְרוֹעַ (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · mi kāwai (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · lt čiuptuvas (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · grc ὄστλιγξ (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · mi kawe (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · nl tentakel (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · fr tentacule (insidious reach or influence) · mi ngongotua (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · hu csáp (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · mt saba’ (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · mi kawekawe (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · mt seba’ (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · pl macka (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · sh pipaljka (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage) · cmn 觸手 /触手 (elongated, boneless, flexible appendage)