tentacle

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ten·ta·cle / ˈten(t)əkəl/ • n. a slender flexible limb or appendage in an animal, esp. around the mouth of an invertebrate, used for grasping, moving about, or bearing sense organs. ∎  (in a plant) a tendril or a sensitive glandular hair. ∎  something resembling a tentacle in shape or flexibility: trailing tentacles of vapor. ∎  (usu. tentacles) fig. an insidious spread of influence and control: the Party's tentacles reached into every nook and cranny of people's lives.DERIVATIVES: ten·ta·cled adj. [also in comb.] ten·tac·u·lar / tenˈtakyələr/ adj.ten·tac·u·late / tenˈtakyələt/ adj.

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