From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishproboscispro‧bos‧cis /prəˈbɒsɪs $ -ˈbɑː-/ noun (plural probosces /-siːz/ or proboscises) [countable] 1 HBIa long thin tube that forms part of the mouth of some insects and worms2 HBAthe long thin nose of some animals such as an elephant
Examples from the Corpus
proboscis• For the second year, Shelton's' Cat sported a new composite proboscis from a P-3 Orion turboprop.• These attract a small moth with a specially curved proboscis that enables it to gather pollen from the yucca stamens.• Because they possessed this extraordinary proboscis, science christened them the Proboscidea.• Each was attached to the leaf by its proboscis.• Short's prediction fitted the data beautifully, except for the proboscis monkey.• But more recent, detailed field studies have shown that the proboscis monkey is not an exception after all.• The proboscis can be shot out forcibly, stabbing its prey.Origin proboscis (1500-1600) Latin Greek proboskis, from boskein “to feed” 