Word
antennae
Phoneticsan·ten·nae
US/ænˈtɛni/
UK/æntˈɛniː/
Definition
n. the long, thin parts on the heads of insects that they use to feel or smell things. It can also refer to the metal rods on a house or car that receive radio or TV signals.
n. the plural form of 'antenna'. Refers to the paired sensory appendages on the heads of arthropods or, in a technical sense, the metallic conductors used for sending or receiving electromagnetic waves.
Examples
“The butterfly moved its antennae to sense the air.”
“Biologists observed the beetle using its antennae to navigate the dark forest floor and locate food sources.”
“While the biological antennae of insects are sophisticated chemical sensors, the metallic antennae atop the building were designed specifically to capture high-frequency satellite transmissions for the local network.”
Examples
simple
“The butterfly moved its antennae to sense the air.”
contextual
“Biologists observed the beetle using its antennae to navigate the dark forest floor and locate food sources.”
complex
“While the biological antennae of insects are sophisticated chemical sensors, the metallic antennae atop the building were designed specifically to capture high-frequency satellite transmissions for the local network.”
Usage
The plural of 'antenna'. In biological contexts, 'antennae' is the standard plural; in electronics and radio contexts, 'antennas' is often preferred.
Pitfall
The insect has two antennaes
The insect has two antennae
Antennae is already the plural form of the Latin-derived antenna; adding an 's' is a common error.
Real-World Examples
“Shea makes more progress when he looks into a practice that always makes fraud-hunters’ antennae twitch: the use of multiple limited companies.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/antennae