From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Sensitive \Sen"si*tive\, a. [F. sensitif. See {Sense}.]
1. Having sense of feeling; possessing or exhibiting the
capacity of receiving impressions from external objects;
as, a sensitive soul.
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2. Having quick and acute sensibility, either to the action
of external objects, or to impressions upon the mind and
feelings; highly susceptible; easily and acutely affected.
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She was too sensitive to abuse and calumny.
--Macaulay.
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3.
(a) (Mech.) Having a capacity of being easily affected or
moved; as, a sensitive thermometer; sensitive scales.
(b) (Chem. & Photog.) Readily affected or changed by
certain appropriate agents; as, silver chloride or
bromide, when in contact with certain organic
substances, is extremely sensitive to actinic rays.
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4. Serving to affect the sense; sensible. [R.]
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A sensitive love of some sensitive objects.
--Hammond.
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5. Of or pertaining to sensation; depending on sensation; as,
sensitive motions; sensitive muscular motions excited by
irritation. --E. Darwin.
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{Sensitive fern} (Bot.), an American fern ({Onoclea
sensibilis}), the leaves of which, when plucked, show a
slight tendency to fold together.
{Sensitive flame} (Physics), a gas flame so arranged that
under a suitable adjustment of pressure it is exceedingly
sensitive to sounds, being caused to roar, flare, or
become suddenly shortened or extinguished, by slight
sounds of the proper pitch.
{Sensitive joint vetch} (Bot.), an annual leguminous herb
({Aeschynomene hispida}), with sensitive foliage.
{Sensitive paper}, paper prepared for photographic purpose by
being rendered sensitive to the effect of light.
{Sensitive plant}. (Bot.)
(a) A leguminous plant ({Mimosa pudica}, or {Mimosa
sensitiva}, and other allied species), the leaves of
which close at the slightest touch.
(b) Any plant showing motions after irritation, as the
sensitive brier ({Schrankia}) of the Southern States,
two common American species of {Cassia} ({Cassia
nictitans}, and {Cassia Chamaecrista}), a kind of
sorrel ({Oxalis sensitiva}), etc.
[1913 Webster] -- {Sen"si*tive*ly}, adv. --
{Sen"si*tive*ness}, n.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Mimosa \Mi*mo"sa\ (?; 277), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? imitator. Cf.
{Mime}.] (Bot.)
A genus of leguminous plants, containing many species, and
including the sensitive plants ({Mimosa sensitiva}, and
{Mimosa pudica}).
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Note: The term mimosa is also applied in commerce to several
kinds bark imported from Australia, and used in
tanning; -- called also {wattle bark}. --Tomlinson.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
Mimosa pudica
n 1: prostrate or semi-erect subshrub of tropical America, and
Australia; heavily armed with recurved thorns and having
sensitive soft grey-green leaflets that fold and droop at
night or when touched or cooled [syn: {sensitive plant},
{touch-me-not}, {shame plant}, {live-and-die}, {humble
plant}, {action plant}, {Mimosa pudica}]
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