/
prəˈbɒsɪs/
n.
(pl. probosces
/-siːz/
, proboscides
/-sɪdiːz/
, or proboscises)
- the nose of a mammal, especially when long and mobile like the trunk of an elephant.
- Zoology an elongated sucking organ or mouthpart.
Etymology
C17: via L. from Gk proboskis ‘means of obtaining food’, from pro ‘before’ + boskein ‘(cause to) feed’.
