Moustache Meaning
/məˈstɑːʃ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA growth of facial hair between the nose and the upper lip.
nounA curly bracket, { or }.
Sentence Examples
"Hrmm," mumbled Professor Takeda as he twisted his moustache.
His fake moustache started to peel off on one side.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
He grew a thick ____ above his upper lip to look older.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He decided to grow a thick ____ over the summer, but he soon found that it was very itchy and decided to shave it all off.
Word Origin & History
Used in English since the 16th century. From Middle French moustache from Italian mostaccio, from Early Medieval Latin mustācium, from Byzantine Greek μουστάκιον (moustákion), diminutive of (Doric) Ancient Greek μύσταξ (mústax, “upper lip”), of unknown origin (probably a Pre-Greek substrate). Replaced native English kemp (“moustache”), from Old English cenep.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A moment later there entered a tall thin Englishman with a great moustache, which was a rare thing amid that clean-shaven race."
— 1903, Arthur Conan Doyle, “How the Brigadier Triumphed in England”, in The Adventures of Gerard:
"“A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron;[…]. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache."
— 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
"A hint of the truth broke on him after Sedan, when he saw the dyed moustaches of Napoleon going grey; another when he entered Paris, and saw the smashed windows of the Tuileries."
— 1908–1910 (date written; published 1910 October 18), E[dward] M[organ] Forster, Howards End, London: Edward Arnold, →OCLC:
"Ivan, the confidential man with the scar and the moustaches, came out of the house like a cannon ball, and came racing across the lawn to Valentin like a dog to his master."
— 1910 September 3, G[ilbert] K[eith] Chesterton, “The Secret Garden”, in The Innocence of Father Brown, London; New York, N.Y.: Cassell and Company, published 1911, →OCLC:
"Small, well-knit, fair, he sat stroking his slight blond moustache and looking at her with kindly, almost tender eyes; but he left it to his sister and the others to draw her out and fit her into the pattern."
— 1913 October, Edith Wharton, The Custom of the Country, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He grew a thick ____ above his upper lip to look older.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He decided to grow a thick ____ over the summer, but he soon found that it was very itchy and decided to shave it all off.