nostril

[ nos-truhl ]

noun

1. either of the two external openings of the nose.

nostril

/ ˈnɒstrɪl /

noun

1. either of the two external openings of the nose narialnarine

Word History and Origins

Origin of nostril¹

before 1000; Middle English nostrill, Old English nosterl, variant of nosthyrl, equivalent to nos ( u ) nose + thyrel hole; thirl

Word History and Origins

Origin of nostril¹

Old English nosthyrl, from nosu nose + thyrel hole

Example Sentences

I play a little game isolating scents in patches of wind, flaring my nostrils and parting my lips slightly, as if wine tasting.

From Los Angeles Times

Old, black blood gushed from her nostrils and mouth.

From Salon

So we move on to Hampden on Tuesday and Ronaldo with his nostrils flaring at the thought of getting at a defence that has conceded seven goals in three games in this group so far.

From BBC

She flaunted a flaming red streak in her long dark hair, a golden ring in her right nostril, and both her arms swarmed with jet black tattoos.

From Los Angeles Times

The kits offered by the federal government contain antigen tests, which look to see whether a sample taken from your nostrils contains a protein that binds to the coronavirus’ RNA.

From Los Angeles Times