prehensile

P3R1E1H4E1N1S1I1L1E1
UK/pɹɪˈhɛn.saɪl/UK/pɹiːˈhɛn.saɪl/US/pɹiˈhɛnsəl/

adjective

Able to take hold of and clasp objects; adapted for grasping especially by wrapping around an object.

“Some monkeys have prehensile tails which they use to pick things up.”

Similar
intelligentavariciouscovetousgrabbygraspinggreedyacquisitive
Opposite
nonprehensile
OriginFrench préhensile ← Latin -ilis →
RareScrabble 15
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Meanings

adjectiveprehensile (not comparable)
  1. not comparablebiologyAble to take hold of and clasp objects; adapted for grasping especially by wrapping around an object.

    Some monkeys have prehensile tails which they use to pick things up.

    1 more example

    A tail that wraps around objects is called prehensile. Monkeys with prehensile tails only live in the Americas.

    2026, Tom Jackson, How Big is That: A Life-Size Guide to the Animal Kingdom, page 47

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveadapted for grasping especially by wrapping around an object

Opposite
nonprehensile

adjectivehaving a keen intellect

Similar
intelligent

adjectiveimmoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth

Similar
avariciouscovetousgrabbygraspinggreedyacquisitive
Also see
avariciouscovetousgrabbygraspinggreedy

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latin-ilis
  2. Frenchpréhensile
  3. Englishprehensile

Borrowed from French préhensile, from Latin perfect passive participle prehēnsus, from prehendō (“grasp, seize”) + adjective suffix -ile, from Latin -ilis.

More words from French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian хватателен
  • хватателен (hvatatelen)able to take hold of objects
Catalan prènsil
  • prènsilable to take hold of objects
Dutch grijp-
  • grijp-able to take hold of objects
Finnish tarttuma-
  • tarttuma-able to take hold of objects
French préhensile, préhensif
  • préhensileable to take hold of objects
  • préhensifable to take hold of objects
Hungarian kapaszkodó
  • kapaszkodóable to take hold of objects
Icelandic grip-
  • grip-able to take hold of objects
Indonesian melilit
  • melilitable to take hold of objects
Irish greama, inghreama
  • greamaable to take hold of objects
  • inghreamaable to take hold of objects
Italian prensile
  • prensileable to take hold of objects
Polish chwytny
  • chwytnyable to take hold of objects
Portuguese preênsil
  • preênsilable to take hold of objects
Russian це́пкий, хвата́тельный
  • це́пкий (cépkij)able to take hold of objects
  • хвата́тельный (xvatátelʹnyj)able to take hold of objects
Spanish prensil, prensor
  • prensilable to take hold of objects
  • prensorable to take hold of objects
Cite this entry
APA

prehensile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prehensile

MLA

“prehensile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prehensile. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prehensile,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prehensile.

Source: prehensile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.