Where does “nostril” come from?

Nostril comes from Middle English nostril, from Old English nosþȳrel, a compound of nos (nose) and þȳrel (hole).

nostril (English): Either 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

Definitions

  1. Either 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

Ancestry of “nostril”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishnostrillenostril
2Old Englishnosþyrelnostril
3Old Englishnosunose
4Proto-Germanic*nosu—

Words derived from “nostril”

Every word from Proto-Germanic *nosu →Every word from Old English nosu →Every word from Old English nosþyrel →