'Vibrissa' definitions:
Definition of 'vibrissa'
From: WordNet
noun
A long stiff hair growing from the snout or brow of most mammals as e.g. a cat [syn: whisker, vibrissa, sensory hair]
Definition of 'Vibrissa'
From: GCIDE
- Vibrissa \Vi*bris"sa\, n.; pl. Vibrissae. [L. vibrissae, pl., the hairs in the nostrils of man, fr. vibrare to vibrate; -- so called because touching them tickles a person, and causes him to shake his head.]
- 1. (Anat.) One of the specialized or tactile hairs which grow about the nostrils, or on other parts of the face, in many animals, as the so-called whiskers of the cat, and the hairs of the nostrils of man. [1913 Webster]
- 2. (Zool.) The bristlelike feathers near the mouth of many birds. [1913 Webster]