nostril

American  

[nos-truhl] / ˈnɒs trəl /

noun

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

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nostril British  

/ ˈnɒstrɪl /

noun

1. either of the two external openings of the nose

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Etymology

Origin of nostril

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

Explanation

A nostril is one of the two holes in your nose through which you breathe, smell, and (sometimes) sneeze. Try not to get anything stuck in your nostrils; they're important passageways! Your nostrils are extremely important, since they provide a direct connection to your lungs — for air — and your olfactory nerves, which your body uses to smell things. You are almost certainly aware of your two external nostrils, but you may not know that you've got two more, inside your head at the very back of the nasal cavity. Most animals have nostrils, even fish — though they use theirs only for smelling, not for breathing. Fittingly, the Old English source of nostril, nosðirl, translates to "the hole of the nose."

Example Sentences

This one performed the same series of tests: A camera went into my nostril.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

Dressed in a dark suit and blue tie, Rossi was seated in a wheelchair and had an oxygen tube in his nostril as the proceedings got under way.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2025

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 • May 11, 2024

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 • Mar. 18, 2024

From a distance it looked like I had been playing badminton and had a shuttlecock jammed up my nostril.

From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos