haustellum

[ haw-stel-uhm ]

noun

, plural haus·tel·la [haw-, stel, -, uh].

1. (in certain crustaceans and insects) an organ or part of the proboscis adapted for sucking blood or plant juices.

haustellum

/ hɔːˈstɛləm /

noun

1. the tip of the proboscis of a housefly or similar insect, specialized for sucking food

Derived Forms

• hausˈtellate, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of haustellum¹

1810–20; < New Latin, diminutive of Latin haustrum scoop on a water wheel, equivalent to haus-, variant stem of haurīre to scoop up, draw + -trum suffix of instrument; for formation, castellum

Word History and Origins

Origin of haustellum¹

C19: New Latin, diminutive of Latin haustrum device for drawing water, from haurīre to draw up; see exhaust

Example Sentences

Haustellum, haws-tel′um, n. the sucking organ or proboscis of an insect or a crustacean:—pl.

From Project Gutenberg

Antlia: the spiral tongue or haustellum of Lepidoptera.

From Project Gutenberg

Haustellum: a sucker: applied to that portion of the mouth of a sucking insect through which liquid food is drawn into the gullet.

From Project Gutenberg

We will suppose that a change takes place in a particular orchid, that the nectary recedes to a greater distance from the point to which the insect can penetrate, and so an advantage is given to those insects in which the haustellum is of a length above the average.

From Project Gutenberg

The insect derives an advantage from its increased haustellum, but what advantage does the plant derive from its retiring nectary?

From Project Gutenberg