[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/proboscis/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [P](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/p/) / proboscis

# proboscis

noun (a proboscis, proboscises)

«proboscis» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A proboscis is a long, bendy nose or snout, like an elephant's trunk or a tapir's snout. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proboscis/#m1)
2. A proboscis is also the long, tube-like mouthpart of some insects, like butterflies and mosquitoes, used for sucking up food. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proboscis/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science lessons on adaptation, a butterfly uncoils its proboscis like a straw to drink nectar, then rolls it up; a mosquito uses its proboscis to pierce skin and drink blood. The proboscis monkey of Borneo has a huge, dangly nose. In stories, «proboscis» is a funny, grand word for a big nose. Phrases: «a butterfly's proboscis», «proboscis monkey».

### Examples

- The butterfly uncurled its proboscis to drink nectar. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proboscis/#x1)
- A mosquito bites with its proboscis. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proboscis/#x2)
- An elephant's trunk is a kind of proboscis. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proboscis/#x3)
- The proboscis monkey has an enormous nose. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proboscis/#x4)
- A moth's proboscis can be longer than its body. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proboscis/#x5)
- The bee pushed its proboscis deep into the flower. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proboscis/#x6)

### Note

Say it "pro-BOSS-iss" (the c is silent). Plural: «proboscises» (also «proboscides» in science). A tricky spelling: -scis.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «proboscis» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/proboscis/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«proboscis» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/proboscis.html) on Mova free.