Nose

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /nəʊz/
• US IPA: /noÊŠz/
• Rhymes: -əʊz

Origin

From Middle English nose, from Old English nosu, from Proto-Germanic *nusō (compare West Frisian noas, Dutch neus, Norwegian nos ‘snout’), variant of *nasō (compare German Low German Nees, Nes, Näs, German Nase, Norwegian nese ‘nose’), old dual from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂s- ~ *nh₂es- ‘nose, nostril’ (compare Latin nāris ‘nostril’, nāsus ‘nose’, Lithuanian nósis, Russian нос, Sanskrit नासा ‘nostrils’).

Full definition of nose

Noun

1. A protuberance on the face housing the nostrils, which are used to breathe or smell.
• 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter 17, The face which emerged was not reassuring. It was blunt and grey, the nose springing thick and flat from high on the frontal bone of the forehead, whilst his eyes were narrow slits of dark in a tight bandage of tissue. ....
2. She has a cold in the nose.
3. A snout, the nose of an animal.
4. The tip of an object.
• 1918, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Land That Time Forgot (novel) Chapter IVWe submerged very slowly and without headway more than sufficient to keep her nose in the right direction, and as we went down, I saw outlined ahead of us the black opening in the great cliff.
5. the nose of a tea-kettle, a bellows, or a fighter plane
6. (horse racing) The length of a horse’s nose, used to indicate the distance between horses at the finish of a race, or any very close race.
   Red Rum only won by a nose.
7. The power of smelling.
• CollierWe are not offended with a dog for a better nose than his master.
8. Bouquet, the smell of something, especially wine.
9. The skill in recognising bouquet.
   It is essential that a winetaster develops a good nose.
10. (by extension) Skill at finding information.
    A successful reporter has a nose for news.

Derived terms

Verb

1. (intransitive) To move cautiously.The ship nosed through the minefield.
2. (intransitive) To snoop.She was nosing around other people’s business.
3. (transitive) To detect by smell or as if by smell.
• circa 1601 William_Shakespeare, Hamlet, act 4, sc. 3,If you find him not withinthis month, you shall nose him as you go up thestairs into the lobby.
4. (transitive) To push with one's nose.
• Tennysonlambs ... nosing the mother's udder
5. (transitive) To nuzzle.
6. (transitive) To win by a narrow margin.
7. (transitive) To utter in a nasal manner; to pronounce with a nasal twang.to nose a prayer

Derived terms

• brown-nose
• nosey
• nose out

Anagrams

• Enos
• ENSO
• eons
• NEOs
• noes
• ones, one's
• sone