ANTENNA

antenna, feeler

(noun) one of a pair of mobile appendages on the head of e.g. insects and crustaceans; typically sensitive to touch and taste

antenna, aerial, transmitting aerial

(noun) an electrical device that sends or receives radio or television signals

antenna, feeler

(noun) sensitivity similar to that of a receptor organ; “he had a special antenna for public relations”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

antenna (plural antennae or antennas)

A feeler organ on the head of an insect, crab, or other animal.

An apparatus to receive or transmit electromagnetic waves and convert respectively to or from an electrical signal.

The faculty of intuitive astuteness.

(biochemistry) A fragment of an oligosaccharide

(nautical) The spar to which a lateen sail is attached, which is then hoisted up the mast.

Usage notes

For multiple feelers the Anglicised plural, antennas, is used only rarely in scholarly works in the life sciences. In other subjects and in less formal settings, antennas is found with increased frequency.

For multiple aerials both plural forms are acceptable in scholarly works. The Latinate plural, antennae, is rarer in less formal settings.

Some make a distinction between an antenna and an aerial, with the former used to indicate a rigid structure for radio reception or transmission, and the latter consisting of a wire strung in the air. For those who do not make a distinction, antenna is more commonly used in the United States and aerial is more commonly used in the United Kingdom.

For the faculty of intuitive astuteness, the Latinate plural is used most frequently but both forms are found.

Synonyms

• (Feeler organ on the head of an insect): feeler

• (Device to receive or transmit radio-frequency signal): aerial

Source: Wiktionary

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An*ten"na, n.; pl. Antennæ. Etym: [L. antenna sail-yard; NL., a feeler, horn of an insect.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: A movable, articulated organ of sensation, attached to the heads of insects and Crustacea. There are two in the former, and usually four in the latter. They are used as organs of touch, and in some species of Crustacea the cavity of the ear is situated near the basal joint. In insects, they are popularly called horns, and also feelers. The term in also applied to similar organs on the heads of other arthropods and of annelids.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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