vibrissa
noun
vi·bris·sa
vī-ˈbri-sə
və-
plural vibrissae
vī-ˈbri-(ˌ)sē
və-,
-ˌsī
1
a
: any of the stiff hairs that are located on the face and especially about the snout of many mammals and typically serve as tactile organs
also
: a similar stiff tactile hair growing elsewhere on some mammals (as in a small tuft at the wrist)
b
: any of the coarse hairs growing within the nostrils of humans that serve to impede the inhalation of particulate matter
2
: one of the bristly feathers near the mouth of many and especially insectivorous birds that may help to prevent the escape of insects
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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