Vibrissa
Vibrissa , noun
[Latin vibrissae, pl., the hairs in the nostrils of man, from vibrare to vibrate; -- so called because touching them tickles a person, and causes him to shake his head.]
1.
(Anatomy) One of the specialized or tactile hairs which grow about the nostrils, or on other parts of the face, in many animals, as the so-called whiskers of the cat, and the hairs of the nostrils of man.
2.
(Zoology) The bristlelike feathers near the mouth of many birds.