antenna

[ an-ten-uh ]

noun

, plural an·ten·nas an·ten·nae [an-, ten, -ee]

1. a conductor by which electromagnetic waves are sent out or received, consisting commonly of a wire or set of wires; aerial.
2. Zoology. one of the jointed, movable, sensory appendages occurring in pairs on the heads of insects and most other arthropods.

antenna

/ ænˈtɛnə /

noun

1. -nae-naɪ one of a pair of mobile appendages on the heads of insects, crustaceans, etc, that are often whiplike and respond to touch and taste but may be specialized for swimming or attachment
2. See aerial
   -nas another name for aerial

antenna

/ ăn-tĕn′ə /

1. One of a pair of long, slender, segmented appendages on the heads of insects, centipedes, millipedes, and crustaceans. Most antennae are organs of touch, but some are sensitive to odors and other stimuli.
2. A metallic device for sending or receiving electromagnetic waves, such as radio waves. Some antennas can send waves in or receive waves from all directions; others are designed to work only in a range of directions.

Derived Forms

• anˈtennal, adjective

Other Words From

• an·tennal adjective
• postan·tennal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of antenna¹

1640–50; < Latin: a sailyard

Word History and Origins

Origin of antenna¹

C17: from Latin: sail yard, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Internal antennas provide better WiFi coverage, higher speed, and will permanently rid your home of dead zones.

From Popular-Science

The handle has the antenna built into it for FM reception, and folds down to act as a stand if you don’t mind your music blasting into the ground or table.

From TechCrunch

Not only are its signals much stronger at ground level, but the antennas for its microwave frequencies are about 10 times more directional than GPS antennas.

From MIT Technology Review

Your hand will block the signal, so the solution to that is multiple antennas that work around your hand position.

From Ars Technica

These are ground-based networks of antennas and GPS receivers.

From Science News For Students

The mission itself is simply a small computer powered by solar cells, with an antenna transmitting at 145.980 MHz.

From The Daily Beast

You cannot just come up with a vampire who is green and has an antenna.

From The Daily Beast

Holding a portable antenna high over his head, he surveyed the area as it emitted a series of telling bleeps.

From The Daily Beast

Yet with the phone simply "on," the scientists found a significant change in brain activity in the areas closest to its antenna.

From The Daily Beast

His cellphone, he says proudly, is the kind that still has an antenna, and he uses it, naturally, only to make phone calls.

From The Daily Beast

For the antenna and lead-in and ground wires, Jessie purchased three hundred feet of copper wire, number fourteen.

From Project Gutenberg

I discovered a short between the automatic trigger and the ship's secondary communication antenna.

From Project Gutenberg

Arcot pointed toward a tall, oddly-shaped antenna that rose from the highest building of the city.

From Project Gutenberg

That antenna is similar to those we found on the planets of the Black Star; it's a heat screen.

From Project Gutenberg

After making a careful mark on the setting circle, Jason turned the receiving antenna through one hundred eighty degrees of arc.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• receiver
• wire

What Is The Plural Of Antenna?

Plural word for antenna

The plural form of antenna can be either antennas or antennae, pronounced [ an-ten-ee ], depending on the meaning of the term. When used in the sense of “a conductor by which electromagnetic waves are sent out or received,” the correct plural form is antennas. When used to describe the sensory appendages of organisms in the field of zoology, the correct plural form is antennae. 

The plural form of several other singular words ending in -a are also formed in this way, as in camera/cameras, pajama/pajamas, and pizza/pizzas. Irregular nouns whose plurals are formed like antennae, such as larva/larvae and fauna/faunae, derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin.