Prehensile French Pree Hen Sul Pree Hen Sile Adjective Capable Seizing Grasping

1. Capable of seizing or grasping, especially by wrapping around.

2. Skilled at keen perception or mental grasp of an idea or concept.

3. Greedy.

[From French prehensile, coined by French naturalist Georges Louis Leclerc De Buffon, from Latin prehensus.]

"The drugstore toothbrush rack has become a circus of ergonomic grips, flexing heads, and prehensile gum-probes -- an entire retail sector transformed by design." - Philip Nobel; Can Design in America Avoid the Style Trap?; The New York Times; Nov 26, 2000.