nostril

Etymology

The word is inherited from Middle English nostrille,^[1][2] inherited from Old English nosþyrl (“nose-hole”),^[3][2] from nosu “nose” + þyrel “hole”,^[1][4] and is recorded in Old English around 1000.^[5] After the second element fell out of use as a word of its own, its form was corrupted within the compound.^[3]

Compare nose and thirl.^[5][6]

Noun

nostril

1. Either of the two external openings of the nose.^[1][4][6][2]
2. A similar opening in other animals, such as on a bird's beak.^[5][2]

References

1. [1] [2] [3] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Boston: Houghton Mifflin
2. [1] [2] [3] [4] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
3. [1] [2] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. [1] [2] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. [1] [2] [3] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. [1] [2] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House