Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Feelers for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Feelers" — noun, pronounced /ˈfiːləz/, with the stress on "feel".
Narrator: Feelers are organs used by insects and crustaceans to sense their environment, or tentative enquiries.
Narrator: In plain English, an insect's feelers are its antennae, and you can put out feelers to test a situation.
Narrator: It comes from the word feel, from the Old English felan, meaning to touch, plus the suffix er.
Narrator: "To put out feelers" describes making tentative enquiries to test a situation.
Narrator: It differs from antennae because feelers is informal, whereas antennae is scientific.
Narrator: "Insect feelers" is a sense meaning the sensory organs on an insect's head.
Narrator: Biology, everyday speech, informal conversation and diplomacy all rely on the word feelers.
Narrator: So remember: feelers are sensing organs or enquiries, from feel and er.
Speaker A: What are feelers?
Speaker B: Sensing organs or enquiries! FEELERS comes from feel plus er, so it means insect antennae, or tentative enquiries.
Speaker A: So you put out feelers for a job?
Speaker B: Yes — to test the situation!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "Put out feelers"; "insect feelers"; "to feelers" — enquiries, insects and sensing.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Don't confuse feelers with fellers, because feelers are antennae or enquiries, while fellers are men who fell trees.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: 'Antennae' the scientific cousin, 'probes' the testing twin, 'enquiries' the formal alternative. The word keeps its sensing charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "feelers" in AI prompts — useful for diplomacy apps and biology tools.
Speaker A: So a prompt could frame diplomacy?
Speaker B: Right. For a diplomacy app, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a short guide to putting out feelers, naming two situations.
Speaker A: How about a biology tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model to describe:
Prompt: Draft a fact sheet on insect feelers, naming two functions.
Speaker A: Could it help with a job bot?
Speaker B: Yes, you can frame enquiries:
Prompt: Summarise in two sentences how to put out feelers for a job, naming one approach.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a nature chatbot, try this:
Prompt: Write a short note on how insects use feelers, naming one sense.
Feelers — meaning in Arabic & definition More F courses GL Dictionary