tentacle

/'tentəkl/

Friendly

Word: Tentacle

Part of Speech: Noun

Basic Definition:

A "tentacle" is a long, flexible part of certain animals, often found on their heads or around their mouths. These parts can be used for feeling things, grasping objects, or moving around.

Simple Usage:

• Example Sentence: The octopus used its tentacles to grab a shell from the ocean floor.

Advanced Usage:

In a more figurative sense, "tentacle" can describe something that reaches out and grabs or influences in a complex way, much like how an octopus's tentacle can grasp different objects.

Word Variants:

• Tentacular (adjective): Relating to or having tentacles.
  • Example: The tentacular arms of the jellyfish floated gracefully in the water.

Different Meanings:

1. Literal Meaning: Referring to the physical appendages of animals like octopuses, squids, and jellyfish.
2. Figurative Meaning: Describing something that extends its reach or influence, such as organizations or systems.
   • Example: The city was caught in the tentacles of organized crime, suggesting that crime had a strong hold over various aspects of life there.

Synonyms:

• Limb
• Appendage
• Feelers (when referring to certain animals)
• Arm (in a figurative sense)

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

While there aren't specific idioms or phrasal verbs that directly include "tentacle," you might encounter phrases that imply the concept of being controlled or influenced, such as: - Caught in the tentacles of something: This means being trapped or heavily influenced by something (e.g., organized crime, bureaucracy). - Example Sentence: He felt he was caught in the tentacles of bureaucracy, unable to make any real progress in his project.

Summary:

In summary, "tentacle" refers to a flexible, elongated part of certain animals used for various functions.

Academic

Noun

1. any of various elongated tactile or prehensile flexible organs that occur on the head or near the mouth in many animals; used for feeling or grasping or locomotion
2. something that acts like a tentacle in its ability to grasp and hold
   • caught in the tentacles of organized crime