nostril
pronunciation
How to pronounce nostril in British English:
UK [ˈnɒstrəl]
How to pronounce nostril in American English:
US [ˈnɑstrəl]
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- Noun:
- either one of the two external openings to the nasal cavity in the nose
Word Origin
- nostril
- nostril: [OE] Etymologically, a nostril is a ‘nosehole’. Its Old English ancestor was nosthyrl, a compound formed from nosu ‘nose’ and thyrl ‘hole’. This was a derivative of thurh ‘through’, and still survives as thirl, a dialectal word for ‘hole’.=> nose, thrill, through
- nostril (n.)
- Old English nosþyrl, nosðirl, literally "the hole of the nose," from nosu "nose" (see nose (n.)) + þyrel "hole" (see thrill (v.)).
Example
- 1. A curious lilliputian , inspecting his comatose form , puts the sharp end of his half-pike a good way up his nostril .
- 2. These distances were then compared and any differences between them ( say , from one nostril and another ) were added to an overall asymmetry score .
- 3. The technique calls for a parent to press shut the child 's unaffected nostril with her finger , then place her mouth over the child 's mouth and deliver a short but sharp puff of air to expel the object from the obstructed nostril .
- 4. Apply a pea-sized dab to a cotton swab and gently rub just the cotton tip up inside each nostril , especially on the middle part of the nose ( called the nasal septum ) .
- 5. Mrs. alexander sat looking into the fire with intent preoccupation , and wilson studied her half-averted face . He liked the suggestion of stormy possibilities in the proud curve of her lip and nostril .