antennae

IPA/antˈɛniː/
KK[æntˈɛni]IPA/æntˈɛniː/

antennae — noun

1. one of two plural forms of the noun 'antenna'; it is the Latin-style plural used

1.nounB2
Definition

one of two plural forms of the noun 'antenna'; it is the Latin-style plural used when talking about the sensory feelers on an insect's head or about figurative sensitivity (e.g. 'political antennae'). For the electronic device that sends or receives radio/TV signals, the regular English plural 'antennas' is more common.

Example

The moth's delicate antennae picked up the faint scent of a flower metres away.

biological sense — insect sensory organs

A good journalist keeps her political antennae tuned to what voters are saying.

figurative sense — sensitivity / awareness

Usage Note

The plural 'antennae' follows the Latin pattern (like 'formula → formulae'), while 'antennas' follows the regular English pattern. Some writers use 'antennae' for all meanings in formal or literary contexts, but 'antennas' is far more common for electronic devices in everyday English.

Common Mistakes

The satellite dish needs new antennae.
The satellite dish needs new antennas.
'antennae' is rarely used for radio/TV devices; 'antennas' is the standard plural for that meaning.

Etymology

LatinEnglish

'Antennae' is the Latin plural of 'antenna', which entered English as a learned borrowing in the 17th century, originally referring to the sensory feelers of insects. The word 'antenna' itself comes from Latin 'antenna' (sail-yard), from the shape resemblance between a ship's yardarm and an insect's feelers. English preserves the Latin plural '-ae' for this biological and figurative meaning, while the regular English plural '-s' is used for the electronic sense.