Nares
/ˈneə.riːz/noun
The nostrils or the external openings of the nose.
Did you know?Nares is a plural Latin anatomical term that survived into modern English almost unchanged, which is why it sounds so formal and almost ritualistic compared with everyday “nostrils.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*nas-
“nose”
Latin
Latin
nāris
“nostril, nose-opening”
Late Latin
Latin
nāres
“plural form: nostrils”
Middle English
English
nares
“nostrils, especially in learned or medical usage”
Modern English
English
nares
“the nostrils or external openings of the nose”