---
title: tentacle — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «tentacle» in the school dictionary: A tentacle is a long, bendy arm-like part on some animals, such as octopuses, squids and jellyfish, used for feeling, grabbing, moving or stinging. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# tentacle

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** tentacle, tentacles, it, jellyfish, octopus, squid · **What happens:** be, use, grab, move, sting, reach · **To what, where:** long bendy like part, ways, many places, tentacles, arms, food

<!-- .vabout -->
«tentacle» in the school dictionary: its 2 meanings for a pupil and its 7 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [tentacle in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/tentacle.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A tentacle is a long, bendy arm-like part on some animals, such as octopuses, squids and jellyfish, used for feeling, grabbing, moving or stinging.

<!-- fold The tree, 25 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tentacle:m1:1
# text = A tentacle is a long, bendy arm-like part on some animals, such as octopuses, squids and jellyfish, used for feeling, grabbing, moving or stinging.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	tentacle	tentacle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
5	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
7	bendy	bendy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
8	arm	arm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	like	like	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	part	part	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
12	on	on	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	14	det	_	_
14	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	18	punct	_	_
16	such	such	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|ExtPos=ADP	18	case	_	_
17	as	as	ADP	IN	_	16	fixed	_	_
18	octopuses	octopus	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	20	punct	_	_
20	squids	squid	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	conj	_	_
21	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	22	cc	_	_
22	jellyfish	jellyfish	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	24	punct	_	_
24	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	11	conj	_	_
25	for	for	ADP	IN	_	26	case	_	_
26	feeling	feeling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	24	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
27	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	28	punct	_	_
28	grabbing	grab	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	24	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
29	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	30	punct	_	_
30	moving	move	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	28	conj	_	_
31	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	32	cc	_	_
32	stinging	sting	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	30	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
33	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	11	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a tentacle | a long bendy like part |  |  |  | on some animals and octopuses and squids and jellyfish | tree rules |
| 2 | **use** | participle | a tentacle *not said here* |  |  |  |  | for feeling | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **grab** | gerund | a tentacle *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn steal-10.5-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **move** | gerund | a tentacle *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |
| 5 | **sting** | gerund | a tentacle *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: figurative — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The «tentacles» of something are the ways it reaches into many places: «the tentacles of the gang».

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tentacle:m2:1
# text = The «tentacles» of something are the ways it reaches into many places: «the tentacles of the gang».
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	tentacles	tentacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	3	punct	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	3	nmod	_	_
7	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	ways	way	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
11	reaches	reach	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	acl:relcl	_	_
12	into	into	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	places	place	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	18	punct	_	_
16	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	18	det	_	_
18	tentacles	tentacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	parataxis	_	_
19	of	of	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	gang	gang	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
22	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	18	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the tentacles of something | the ways |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **reach** | present | it | the ways *not said here* |  | many places |  |  | vn body\_motion-49.2-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Agent way=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The jellyfish trailed long, stinging tentacles.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tentacle:x1:1
# text = The jellyfish trailed long, stinging tentacles.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	jellyfish	jellyfish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	trailed	trail	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
6	stinging	sting	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	advcl	_	_
7	tentacles	tentacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **trail** | past | the jellyfish |  |  |  |  | long *property* | vn chase-51.6 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **sting** | gerund | the jellyfish *not said here* | tentacles |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Stimulus tentacle=Experiencer |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The octopus wrapped its arms around the crab.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tentacle:x2:1
# text = The octopus wrapped its arms around the crab.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	octopus	octopus	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	wrapped	wrap	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	arms	arm	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	around	around	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	crab	crab	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wrap** | past | the octopus | octopus's arms |  |  |  | around the crab | vn spray-9.7-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent arm=Theme around crab=Destination |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A squid catches food with its two long tentacles.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tentacle:x3:1
# text = A squid catches food with its two long tentacles.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	squid	squid	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	catches	catch	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
6	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
7	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	9	nummod	_	_
8	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	tentacles	tentacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **catch** | present | a squid | food |  |  |  | with squid's two long tentacles | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent food=Theme |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Sea anemones wave their tentacles to catch tiny fish.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tentacle:x4:1
# text = Sea anemones wave their tentacles to catch tiny fish.
1	Sea	sea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	anemones	anemone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	wave	wave	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	5	nmod:poss	_	_
5	tentacles	tentacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	catch	catch	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
8	tiny	tiny	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	fish	fish	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wave** | present | Sea anemones | anemones's tentacles |  |  |  |  | vn wink-40.3.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tentacle=Patient |
| 2 | **catch** | to-infinitive | Sea anemones *not said here* | tiny fish |  |  |  |  | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fish=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Do not touch a jellyfish on the beach — its tentacles can still sting.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tentacle:x5:1
# text = Do not touch a jellyfish on the beach — its tentacles can still sting.
1	Do	do	AUX	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
2	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	3	advmod	_	_
3	touch	touch	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	jellyfish	jellyfish	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	beach	beach	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
9	—	-	PUNCT	:	_	14	punct	_	_
10	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	tentacles	tentacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	14	nsubj	_	_
12	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	14	aux	_	_
13	still	still	ADV	RB	_	14	advmod	_	_
14	sting	sting	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **touch** | imperative · do-support | you *not said here* | a jellyfish |  |  |  | on the beach | vn touch-20-1 «NP V NP PP.theme PP.instrument»: agent=Agent jellyfish=Experiencer on beach=Theme |
| 2 | **sting** | can | beach's tentacles |  |  |  | still |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Snails have tentacles on their heads with eyes at the tips.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tentacle:x6:1
# text = Snails have tentacles on their heads with eyes at the tips.
1	Snails	snail	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	tentacles	tentacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	heads	head	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nmod	_	_
7	with	with	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nmod	_	_
9	at	at	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	tips	tip	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | Snails | tentacles |  | Snails's heads with eyes at the tips |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tentacle=Patient |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The monster in the story reached out with slimy tentacles.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:tentacle:x7:1
# text = The monster in the story reached out with slimy tentacles.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	monster	monster	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	in	in	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
6	reached	reach	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	out	out	ADP	RP	_	6	compound:prt	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	slimy	slimy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	tentacles	tentacle	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reach out** | participle · passive |  | the monster in the story |  |  |  | with slimy tentacles | vn body\_motion-49.2-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: subject=Theme |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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