feeler

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun one of a pair of mobile appendages on the head of e.g. insects and crustaceans; typically sensitive to touch and taste
  2. noun a tentative suggestion designed to elicit the reactions of others
  3. noun sensitivity similar to that of a receptor organ

Etymology

From Middle English feler, feeler, felar, equivalent to feel + -er. Animal organ definition from 1660s. Transferred sense of "proposal put forth to observe the reaction it gets" is from 1830.

In classic literature

Synonyms

antenna

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