vibrissa Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a long stiff hair growing from the snout or brow of most mammals as e.g. a cat
    whisker; sensory hair.

WordNet

Vi*bris"sa noun
Etymology
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.
Wordforms
plural Vibrissæ
Definitions
  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.
  2. (Zoöl.) The bristlelike feathers near the mouth of many birds.

Webster 1913