Nostril Meaning
/ˈnɒs.tɹɪl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounEither of the two orifices located on the nose (or on the beak of a bird); used as a passage for air and other gases to travel the nasal passages.
Sentence Examples
There's a pea in my right nostril.
I have a facial boil. There's a painful lump at the back of one nostril.
Sami had a little bit of blood coming from his nostril.
CEFR Practice Quiz
When he inhaled deeply, he felt a tickle in his right ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor checked each ____ to ensure there was no blockage in the patient's airway.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English nostrille, from Old English nosþyrel. Compare Old Frisian nosterle (“nostril”), modern West Frisian noaster (“nostrill”). Compare also Middle Low German noster (“nostril”), from Proto-Germanic *nustriz (“nostril”). By surface analysis, nose + thirl (“hole”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…]whether it bee that they bee broken winded and purſiue, or otherwiſe bitten and ſtung with venomous beaſts; in which caſes, there muſt be an injection made vp into the noſthrils, of the juice of Rue in wine."
— 1601, Plinius Secundus, translated by Philemon Holland, The Hiſtorie of the World. Commonly Called, the Naturall Hiſtorie […] , London: Impenſis G. B, Book L, Chapter XIII, page 58:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
When he inhaled deeply, he felt a tickle in his right ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor checked each ____ to ensure there was no blockage in the patient's airway.