Definition of: vibrissa

(vī·bris′ə) noun plural ·bris·sae (-bris′ē) Biol.
1. One of the stiff, coarse hairs found in the nostrils of man and about the mouth of many other mammals, as the cat: they often function as tactile organs.
2. One of the vaneless, hairlike rictal feathers of many insectivorous birds, especially flycatchers. [<L vibrissae hairs in a man's nostrils <vibrare shake]