tentacle
tentacle Lexical Profile
tentacle Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A slender, flexible appendage in an invertebrate animal, such as a squid, octopus, or jellyfish, typically located near the mouth and used for feeling, grasping, or locomotion.
"The giant squid used a long tentacle to capture prey in the dark ocean depths."
Something that resembles a tentacle in shape, reach, or pervasive, often sinister influence (usually used in the plural).
"The investigation revealed how the conglomerate extended its tentacles into nearly every sector of the local economy."
A sensitive, hair-like projection on a carnivorous plant, such as a sundew, that secretes sticky fluid to trap and digest insects.
"When the gnat landed on the sundew, each nearby tentacle slowly curled inward to secure it."
• Rhymes for tentacle
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 18th century from New Latin tentaculum, a diminutive formed from the Latin verb tentare (or temptare), meaning 'to feel, touch, or try.'