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

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

McPeek also had the horse scoped, where a tube is inserted in the horse’s nostril and then pushed down to see if there are any respiratory issues, and that apparently came back good.

From Los Angeles Times

“Chinatown”-style, Sam Wasson’s book “The Big Goodbye” likewise shoves a switchblade up Towne’s coke-frosted nostril too, giving overmuch credit to director Roman Polanski and studio head Robert Evans.

From Los Angeles Times

They introduced these virus suspensions drop-by-drop into each nostril of the piglets and monitored them for 5 days to see whether they displayed any symptoms, including changes in body temperature.

From Science Daily

She went in for an abdominoplasty, aka “tummy tuck,” nostril narrowing and chin implant — telling evidence of society’s brutal pressures surrounding female beauty standards.

From Seattle Times