nose English · revision 4675

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 897|origins=ine-pro *nas-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /nəʊz/, US /noʊz/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|nose]], [[inh|ang|nosu]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[gem-pro|*nusō]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) also the source of Old Frisian nose and Dutch neus, and probably related to a parallel Old English nasu, Old High German nasa (German Nase) and Old Norse nǫs.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) It goes back to [[ine-pro|*nas-|t=nose]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) the source also of Latin nāsus, Lithuanian nósis, Old Church Slavonic nosŭ and Sanskrit nāsā.^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) It is related to [[nasal]], [[nostril]] and [[ness]] “headland”.^(Cresswell 2021)^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The part of the face containing the nostrils: about 897 in the OED, before 899 in Barnhart, in Alfred's Pastoral Care.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Animals' snouts and beaks are called noses from the mid-13th century, and any projecting part like a nose from the late 14th century.^(Etymonline) The sense of smell is from the mid-14th century,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and the smell or bouquet of a wine from 1894.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) ''Under one's nose'' is from the mid-15th century,^(Etymonline) ''as plain as the nose on one's face'' from the 1590s,^(Etymonline) and ''cut off one's nose to spite one's face'' from the mid 16th century, after medieval Latin and French proverbs.^(Cresswell 2021) ''Pay through the nose'' is from the 1670s, perhaps suggesting bleeding.^(Etymonline) A police informer has been a nose since the 1780s.^(Cresswell 2021) ''Turn up one's nose'' is from 1818,^(Etymonline) and horse racing's ''by a nose'' from 1908.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The verb, to smell out, is from 1577–1587, and to pry from 1648.^(Barnhart 1988) ''Nosy'' first meant big-nosed or bad-smelling, and inquisitive from the 19th century.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 897 – the nose.^(OED 1989)

+ * mid-13th century – an animal's snout.^(Etymonline)

+ * mid-14th century – the sense of smell.^(Etymonline)

+ * late 14th century – a projecting part.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1577–87 – verb, to smell out.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1648 – verb, to pry.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1670s – ''pay through the nose''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1894 – the smell of wine.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1908 – ''by a nose''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The part of the face above the mouth, used for breathing and [[smell]]ing.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The sense of smell, or the smell of a wine.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A natural ability to find or notice things: ''a nose for news''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The front part of an [[aircraft]], car or other vehicle.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To move forward slowly and carefully.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To pry or search, often with ''around'' or ''about''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To find out by smell, or as if by smell.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To push or touch with the nose; to [[nuzzle]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[noseless]]

+ * [[noselike]]

+ * [[brown-nose]]

+ * [[nosey]]

+ * [[nose out]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[nasal]]

+ * [[nostril]]

+ * [[ness]]

+ * [[nozzle]]

+ * [[nuzzle]]

+ * [[nosy]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}