nosethirl

English

Alternative forms

• nosethril [16th–17th c.]

Etymology

From Middle English nosethirl. By surface analysis, nose +‎ thirl. Compare nostril.

Noun

nosethirl (plural nosethirls)

1. (now UK regional, archaic) A nostril.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     proud Encelade, whose wide nosethrils burnd / With breathed flames, like to a furnace red [...].

Anagrams

• helitrons, short line, shortline

Middle English

Alternative forms

• nosethrille, nosethurl, nosethrul, nosetherel, nosethrel, nosethorl, nosederl, nosetrel, nosesterl

Etymology

From Old English nosþyrel, equivalent to nose +‎ thirl.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɔːz(ə)ˌθirl/

Noun

nosethirl (plural nosethirles)

1. nostril

Synonyms

• nestryl
• nesethirl
• nostrille

Descendants

• English: nosethirl (archaic)

References

• “nōse-thirl, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.