proboscis
/pɹoʊˈbɑs(k)ɪs/noun
proboscis is spelled P-R-O-B-O-S-C-I-S: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,074th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, proboscis means “An elongated tube from the head or connected to the mouth, of an animal” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of proboscis is proboscises or proboscides.
How many letters and syllables are in proboscis?
| Letters | 9: P-R-O-B-O-S-C-I-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 60,074th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is proboscis?
Proboscis appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,074th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce proboscis?
- UK /pɹə(ʊ)ˈbɒs(k)ɪs/
- US /pɹoʊˈbɑs(k)ɪs/
- Canada /pɹoʊˈbɒs(k)ɪs/
Proboscis has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-proboscis.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of proboscis
- proboscises plural
- proboscides plural
- probosces plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does proboscis mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An elongated tube from the head or connected to the mouth, of an animal.
- 2
The tubular feeding and sucking organ of certain invertebrates like insects, worms and molluscs.
- 3
The trunk of an elephant.
- 4
informalA large or lengthy human nose.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Proboscis in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense elongated tube:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | trompe, proboscide |
| German | Rüssel |
| Portuguese | probóscide, probóscida |
| Spanish | probóscide |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does proboscis come from?
From Latin proboscis, from Ancient Greek προβοσκίς (proboskís, “elephant's trunk”) literally "means for taking food," from προ- (pro-, “before”) + βόσκω (bóskō, “to nourish, feed”), from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷeh₃- from which also comes βοτάνη (botánē, “grass, fodder”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).