ūsa

Etymology
Borrowed from (compare 🇨🇬). The word apparently entered the language in the 18th century, at first mostly in more Eastern dialects: at the beginning of the 19th century, it was still little known in northern Vidzeme. By the mid-19th century, however, it had become more widely known, albeit with variations (ūse, ūsi, ūsas). The form ūsas became stable only at the end of the 19th century.

Noun

 * 1)  moustache hair between the nose and the lips
 * 2)  whiskers hair-like tactile projections on the sides of the upper lip of certain mammals
 * 3) barbels, antennae hair-like feeler organ on fish, insects, etc.
 * 1)  whiskers hair-like tactile projections on the sides of the upper lip of certain mammals
 * 2) barbels, antennae hair-like feeler organ on fish, insects, etc.
 * 1)  whiskers hair-like tactile projections on the sides of the upper lip of certain mammals
 * 2) barbels, antennae hair-like feeler organ on fish, insects, etc.
 * 1) barbels, antennae hair-like feeler organ on fish, insects, etc.
 * 1) barbels, antennae hair-like feeler organ on fish, insects, etc.
 * 1) barbels, antennae hair-like feeler organ on fish, insects, etc.

Usage notes
Even though the singular forms do exist and are occasionally found (especially in the “insect antenna” sense), the plural forms are much more frequent.