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philtrum

American  
[fil-truhm] / ˈfɪl trəm /

noun

  • philtra
    plural
  1. Anatomy. the vertical groove on the surface of the upper lip, below the septum of the nose.

  2. a philter.


philtrum British  
/ ˈfɪltrəm /

noun

  1. the indentation above the upper lip

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of philtrum

1600–10; < Latin: love philter < Greek phíltron love philter, dimple in upper lip. See phil-, -tron


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

He said the latter has certain physical traits that pediatricians can recognize such as thin lips, narrow eyelid openings and a smooth philtrum — the ridge between the nose and mouth.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 13, 2022

Are they the house’s philtrum, that bit of facial real estate between the nose and the lips?

From Washington Post ● Sep. 12, 2021

Rough edges frame the philtrum, chin and bits of cheek around her lips, and the piece rests on a spindly plaster stem that descends a couple of inches to a broader foot.

From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2019

And in Movember, all of these issues come to the fore, where so many guys think they are cute and clever for 30 days while they get a little fuzziness around the philtrum.

From Time ● Nov. 5, 2014

This philtrum was the one which produced all the appearance of death.

From Sidonia, the Sorceress : the Supposed Destroyer of the Whole Reigning Ducal House of Pomerania — Volume 1 by Wilhelm Meinhold

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