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Nostril

Anatomy
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

One of the openings of the nose through which air passes. It can suggest breath, scent, anger, animal instinct, or alertness.

Detailed Definition
The nostril is a small opening with strong poetic force because it connects the body to air, smell, and instinct. Flared nostrils may show anger, exertion, or fear, while a scent entering the nostrils can trigger memory before thought intervenes. Poets can use this detail to make a scene bodily and immediate: smoke, rain, salt, flowers, and blood all arrive through breath. It often brings a refined lyric closer to animal awareness and survival.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Through each nostril, the sharp scent of pine entered” shows how smell can ground a scene in the body; “Smoke stung his nostrils before the flames appeared” uses nostrils to signal danger before it is seen; “The horse flared its nostrils at thunder” gives an animal image energy and fear; “Snow melted at the nostril’s edge” offers a close, wintry detail of the face
Additional Notes
Nostrils make breath and scent physically immediate. Flared nostrils may convey rage, fear, exertion, or animal alertness.
Also Known As
Naris
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