tentacle
noun /ˈtentəkl/
/ˈtentəkl/
- [countable] a long, thin part of the body of some creatures, such as squid, used for feeling or holding things, for moving or for getting foodTopics Fish and shellfishc1
enlarge image - tentacles[plural] (usually disapproving) the influence that a large place, organization or system has and that is hard to avoid
- The tentacles of satellite television are spreading even wider.
Word Originmid 18th cent.: anglicized from modern Latin tentaculum, from Latin tentare, temptare ‘to feel, try’.