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retroussé

[re-troo-sey; French ruh-troo-sey]
adjective
  1. (especially of the nose) turned up.
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Origin of retroussé

1830–40; < French, past participle of retrousser, Middle French, equivalent to re- re- + trousser to turn, tuck up; see truss
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for retrousse

Historical Examples

  • She wasn't handsome, but she certainly was pretty, even though her nose was retrousse;, which is French for pug.

    Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13

    Elbert Hubbard

  • His nose was short and retrousse, and his ears were rather prominent; but he was bright and attractive.

    The Financier

    Theodore Dreiser

British Dictionary definitions for retrousse

retroussé

adjective
  1. (of a nose) turned up
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Word Origin

C19: from French retrousser to tuck up; see truss
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

Word Origin and History for retrousse

adj.

"turned up" (of the nose), 1802, from French retroussé (16c.) past participle adjective from retrousser "to turn up."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper