n.
(pl. antennae
/-niː/
)
- Zoology a long, thin sensory appendage found in pairs on the heads of insects and some other arthropods.
(pl. also antennas)
chiefly N. Amer. or technical an aerial.-
(antennae)
the faculty of instinctively detecting and interpreting subtle signs:
his political antennae remain as sharp as ever.
Derivative
- antennal adj.
- antennary adj.
Etymology
C17: from L., alt. of antemna ‘yard’ (of a ship), used in pl. to translate Gk keraioi ‘horns (of insects)’.