feeler

See also: Feeler

English

Etymology

From Middle English feler, feeler, felar, equivalent to feel +‎ -er. Animal organ definition from 1660s. Transferred sense of "proposal put forth to observe the reaction it gets" is from 1830.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈfiːlə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈfiːləɹ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːlə(ɹ)

Noun

feeler (plural feelers)

1. (literally) Someone or something that feels.

   Are you more of a feeler or more of a thinker?

2. (anatomy) An antenna or appendage used for feeling, especially on an insect.
3. (figuratively) Something ventured to test another's feelings, opinion, or position.

   I sent out some feelers but they didn't seem interested.

   This survey is designed to get a feeler about how the citizens feel about the proposed new highway.

   • 1952 July, the late H. Carew, “By Special Train in the Far East”, in Railway Magazine, page 488:

     In 1905, the Russo-Japanese war fought itself to a standstill, and with the destruction of Rozhiestvensky's fleet at Tsushima, the Japanese, for financial reasons, had to put out feelers for peace.

   • 1972 August 30, “Dayan's Peace Feeler”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     Mr. Dayan's peace feeler would he more attractive to Cairo if it were accompanied by suggestions from Jerusalem, public private, for safeguarding Israeli security interests there without sacrificing Cairo's claim to ultimate sovereignty.

4. (Philippines) Someone who assumes or imagines that something said or done (positive or negative) was for the person despite having no concrete confirmation but gut feeling, one's affection is reciprocated, indulges in one's own wishful thinking, or flatters oneself

Derived terms

• feelered
• feeler gauge
• put out feelers
• touchy-feeler

Translations

someone or something that feels

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} voeler (nl) m, ^{(please verify)} voelende (nl) m
• German: Fühler (de) m
• Portuguese: sentidor m
• Russian: щуп (ru) m (ščup) (probe)

an antenna or appendage used to feel, as on an insect

• Armenian: շոշափուկ (hy) (šošapʻuk)
• Bulgarian: антена (bg) f (antena), пипалце (bg) n (pipalce)
• Czech: tykadlo (cs) n
• Danish: følehorn n, føletråd c
• Dutch: voelspriet (nl), voeldraad (nl), voelhoorn (nl)
• Esperanto: anteno (eo)
• Finnish: tuntosarvi (fi)
• German: Fühler (de) m
• Hindi: शृंगिका (śŕṅgikā)
• Hungarian: csáp (hu)
• Icelandic: fálmari (is) m, þreifari m
• Irish: adharcán m
• Japanese: 触角 (ja) (しょっかく, shokkaku)
• Latin: palpus m
• Maori: hihi, pūhihi
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: føletråd m

• Old English: lim n
• Persian: شاخک (fa) (šâxak)
• Polish: czułek (pl) m
• Portuguese: sensor (pt) m, palpo (pt) m
• Russian: у́сик (ru) m (úsik) (antenna), щу́пальце (ru) n (ščúpalʹce) (tentacle), анте́нна (ru) f (antɛ́nna), сяжо́к (ru) m (sjažók)
• Spanish: antena (es) f
• Swedish: känselspröt (sv) n
• Tajik: шохак (šoxak)
• Ukrainian: ву́сик m (vúsyk), анте́на (uk) f (anténa), щу́пальце n (ščúpalʹce)
• Vietnamese: xúc giác (vi) (觸角)

Something ventured to test other's feelings

• Bulgarian: намек (bg) m (namek)
• Danish: føler c, prøveballon c
• Dutch: proefballon (nl) m
• Swedish: försöksballong (sv) c, trevare (sv) c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} capteur (fr) c, ^{(please verify)} tripoteur (fr) c, ^{(please verify)} antenne (fr) c, ^{(please verify)} brin (fr) c

Anagrams

• refeel