Apedia

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

Front prehensile \pree-HEN-sul or pree-HEN-sile\
Back adjective
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.

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