proboscis

1 the human nose (especially when it is large)

2 a long flexible snout as of an elephant [syn: trunk] [also: proboscides (pl)]

English

Noun

proboscis (plural proboscises or proboscides)

1. An elongated tube from the head or connected to the mouth, of an animal.
   1. The tubular feeding and sucking organ of certain invertebrates like insects, worms and molluscs.
   2. The trunk of an elephant.
2. Informally, a large human nose.

Translations

Derived terms

• proboscis monkey.

This article is about the mouth part. For the butterfly genus, see Proboscis (genus)

In general, a proboscis (from Greek pro "before" and boskein "to feed") is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal. The most common usage is to refer to the tubular feeding and sucking organ of certain invertebrates like insects, worms (including proboscis worms) and molluscs. The elephant's trunk is also called a proboscis. An abnormal facial appendage that sometimes accompanies ocular and nasal abnormalities is also called a proboscis. The term is used for primate organs as well: an elongated human nose is sometimes facetiously called a proboscis and the Proboscis Monkey is named for its enormous nose.

The correct Greek plural is proboscides, but in English it is more common to simply add -es, forming proboscises.

Notable mammals with some form of proboscis are:

• Members of the elephant family (see elephant trunk).
• Moeritherium
• Macrauchenia
• Palorchestes
• Aardvark
• Tapiridae
• Elephant shrews
• Numbat

See also

• Snout

antlia, beak, beezer, bill, bugle, conk, muffle, muzzle, nares, neb, nib, nose, nostrils, nozzle, olfactory organ, pecker, rhinarium, rostrum, schnozzle, smeller, snoot, snout, trunk