prehensile organs

pl. Zool.: Organs adapted for grasping. In the American monkeys the tale is prehensile; the prehensile organ of the elephant is his proboscis; a similar but shorter organ exists in the tapir. The technic ally prehensile foot among birds is that of the IMG:content-1470.png:[blocks in formation] 3222 crustacea have their legs and antenne modified extraordinarily for the prehension of the female, and the octopus grasps the victim on which it feeds by a number of arms furnished with suckers. pre-hěn-sion, s . [Lat. prehensio , from prehen sus , pa. par. of prehendo =to take, to seize.] 1. The act of seizing, grasping, or taking hold, as with the hand or other limb. "Organs of prehension and locomotion."-Scribner's Magazine , June, 1877, p. 158. *2. The act of seizing or taking po e ion of. "The prehension and clearing of a definite tract of ground."-Phear: Aryan Village , p. xv. (Introd.) pre-hěn'-sõr, s. [Latin prehensus, pa. par. of prehendo.] One who seizes or takes hold of. pré-hěn-sõr-, a. [Lat. prehensus, pa. par. of prehendo.] The same as PREHENSILE (q. v.).] pre-his-tor-ic, a. [Pref. pre-, and Eng. historic (q. v.).] 1. Archæol .: Pertaining or relating to a period antecedent to that at which history began to record the deeds of any particular people. [PROTOHISTORIC.] 2. Geol.: The term applied to the latest sub-period but one of the Post-tertiary, a portion of the recent period. [RECENT.]