flehmen

[ fley-muhn ]

noun
  1. Also called fleh·men re·sponse [fley-muhn ri-spons], /ˈfleɪ mən rɪˌspɒns/, fleh·men re·ac·tion [fley-muhn ree-ak-shuhn] /ˈfleɪ mən riˌæk ʃən/ . a behavioral response of many mammals, especially deer and other artiodactyls, felines, and horses, consisting of raising the head and curling the upper lip to aid the sense of smell by increasing the flow of air through the nostrils and exposing the auxiliary olfactory organs: often a response to the detection of pheromones.: See also lip curl (def. 1b).

verb (used without object)
  1. (of deer, horses, and many other mammals) to raise the head and curl the upper lip to aid the sense of smell by increasing the flow of air through the nostrils and exposing the auxiliary olfactory organs.

Origin of flehmen

1
From German Flehmen, noun use of infinitive: “(of a domestic ungulate) to curl the lip”; compare dialectal (Upper Saxony) flemmen “to look spiteful”; further relations unclear

Words Nearby flehmen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024