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Where does the word "nose" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic nusō, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).
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Where does the word "nose" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic nusō, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).
Nose’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: nusō meant “nose.” Cognate with Latin 'nāsus', as in 'nasal'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as nosu. 'nosþyrel', nose-hole, gave 'nostril'. It reached English by 1500s as nose. 'nosy', inquisitive, dates from the 1880s. Today, nose means the part of the face used for smelling and breathing.
- Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient nusō "nose", cognate with Latin 'nāsus', as in 'nasal'.
- Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s nosu "nose", 'nosþyrel', nose-hole, gave 'nostril'.
- Stage 3 · English · 1500s nose "nose", 'nosy', inquisitive, dates from the 1880s.