WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Pro*bos"cis
Part of Speech : n.;
Etymology : [L. fr. Gr.
Definition : 1. (Zo?l.)

Defn: A hollow organ or tube attached to the head, or connected with the mouth, of various animals, and generally used in taking food or drink; a snout; a trunk.

Note: The proboscis of an elephant is a flexible muscular elongation of the nose. The proboscis of insects is usually a chitinous tube formed by the modified maxill?, or by the labium. See Illusts. of Hemiptera and Lepidoptera.

2. (Zo?l.)

Defn: By extension, applied to various tubelike mouth organs of the lower animals that can be everted or protruded.

Note: The proboscis of annelids and of mollusks is usually a portion of the pharynx that can be everted or protruded. That of nemerteans is a special long internal organ, not connected with the mouth, and not used in feeding, but capable of being protruded from a pore in the head. See Illust. in Appendix.

3. The nose. [Jocose] Proboscis monkey. (Zo?l.) See Kahau.

pl. Proboscides.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913