mustache

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmʌstæʃ/, /məˈstæʃ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French moustache,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Italian mostaccio,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek μουστάκιον (moustákion), a Medieval Greek diminutive of Doric mústax “upper lip, moustache”.^[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The hair growing on the upper lip (1585);^[3][4][5] earlier English borrowed the Italian form as mustachio (1551).^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The plural mustachios lingered in English because the moustache was sometimes thought of as the hair on either side of the lip.^[4] Old English had cenep for a moustache.^[4] The word is also used of whiskers or bristles round an animal's mouth and of markings near a bird's beak.^[2][5][6] Mustache is the usual American spelling and moustache the chiefly British one.^[4][1]

Timeline

• 1551 – mustachio, from Italian.^[3][4]
• 1585 – moustache, from French.^[3][5]
• 1868 – mustache cup.^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The hair growing on the human upper lip, especially when grown and groomed.
2. A growth of hairs or bristles about the mouth of an animal, or coloured markings near a bird's beak.
3. Something resembling a moustache, such as a film of milk on the upper lip.

Word family

• mustached

Related words

• moustache
• mustachio
• beard
• whisker

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House