‖ promuscis
(prəʊˈmʌsɪs)
[L., altered form of proboscis. Cf. obs. F. promuscide (1536 in Godef.).]
† 1. The proboscis or trunk of an elephant. Obs.
| [1576: see proboscis 1.] 1600 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa Introd. 40 The elephant..will stande vp to the mid-body therein, bathing the ridge of his backe, and other parts with his long promuscis or trunke. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 153 His trunck called Proboscis and Promuscis, is a large hollow thing hanging from his nose. 1709 Blair in Phil. Trans. XXVII. 56 The Proboscis (or Promuscis, as some call it, in English the Trunk). |
2. Entom. The proboscis in certain orders of insects: cf. proboscis 3; spec. that of the Hymenoptera: see quots. 1826–8.
| 1658 Rowland Moufet's Theat. Ins. 962 It hath very long cornicles, and the promuscis or snout doubled in or rolled up together. Ibid. 990 A long kinde of compact fast substance, which like a promuscis supplieth the place of a mouth and tongue. 1826 Kirby & Sp. Entomol. III. xxxiii. 360 Promuscis, the oral instrument of Hemiptera, in which the ordinary Trophi are replaced by a jointed sheath, covered above at the base by the Labrum,..and containing four long capillary lancets, and a short tongue. 1828 Stark Elem. Nat. Hist. II. 219 [In the Hymenoptera] All these parts, as well as the labium, are often much elongated, and compose together a species of trunk or proboscis, which Illiger names promuscis, and which Latreille calls a spurious proboscis. 1856–8 W. Clark Van der Hoeven's Zool. I. 372 Chrysis L.—Labium not in form of a promuscis. |