snout

[snout]

noun

1. the part of an animal's head projecting forward and containing the nose and jaws; muzzle.

2. Entomology.,  an anterior prolongation of the head bearing the mouth parts, as in snout beetles.

3. anything that resembles or suggests an animal's snout in shape, function, etc.

4. a nozzle or spout.

5. a person's nose, especially when large or prominent.

snout

/ snaʊt /

noun

1. the part of the head of a vertebrate, esp a mammal, consisting of the nose, jaws, and surrounding region, esp when elongated

2. the corresponding part of the head of such insects as weevils

3. anything projecting like a snout, such as a nozzle or the lower end of a glacier

4. slang,  a person's nose

5. Also called: snout moth. a brownish noctuid moth, Hypena proboscidalis, that frequents nettles: named from the palps that project prominently from the head at rest

6. slang,  a cigarette or tobacco

7. slang,  an informer

Other Word Forms

• snouted adjective
• snoutless adjective
• snoutlike adjective
• unsnouted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of snout¹

1175–1225; Middle English snute; cognate with Dutch snuite, German Schnauze

Word History and Origins

Origin of snout¹

C13: of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse snyta, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch snūte

Example Sentences

"Xiphodracon translates to sword-like dragon and that is in reference to that very long, sword-like snout, but also the fact that ichthyosaurs have been referred to as sea dragons for about 200 years."

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Sadly, one evening, when Bunny had had enough, she took a chomp out of his snout.

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The canine’s snout sliced determinedly through the water as it dog-paddled along, before eventually turning around and swimming back to Angel Island.

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Dogs pant to keep themselves cool, but the shorter snouts of certain flat-faced breeds like bulldogs and pugs make this difficult.

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“Summer afternoons are best spent in an air-conditioned room as a Bulldog’s short snout can cause labored breathing in hot and humid weather,” according to the American Kennel Club.

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Related Words

• beak 
• nose 
• trunk