vīˈbrisə noun
( plural vibris·sae -iˌsē)
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin vibrissae, plural, hairs in the nostrils, probably from vibrare to shake, vibrate — more at wipe
1. : one of the stiff hairs that grow about the nostrils or on other parts of the face in many mammals (as the whiskers of a cat or the hairs of the nostrils of man) and that are not themselves sensitive but often serve as tactile organs ; also : a similar stiff tactile hair growing elsewhere on some mammals (as in a small tuft at the wrist)
2. : one of the feathers that resemble bristles near the mouth of many birds and especially of some insectivorous birds and that may help to prevent the escape of insects
3. : either of a pair of stout bristles situated on either side of the mouth of some two-winged flies