1. long flexible organ: a long flexible organ around the mouth or on the head of some animals, especially invertebrates such as squid, used in holding, grasping, feeling, or moving
2. hair on plant leaf: a sticky glandular hairy projection from the leaf of an insect-eating plant such as the sundew, whose secretions trap and digest prey
3. something far-reaching: something that gradually insinuates its influence or control
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literary
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usually used in the plural
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[Mid-18th century. < modern Latin tentaculum< Latin temptare "feel, try"]
