nosþyrel

Old English

FWOTD – 13 September 2021

Alternative forms

• næsþyrel

Etymology

From nosu (“nose”) +‎ þyrel (“hole”). Cognate with Old Frisian nosterle (“nostril”).

Compare also Middle Low German noster, nüster (whence German Nüster), which is usually regarded as a different construct, however.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnosˌθy.rel/

Noun

nosþyrel n (nominative plural nosþyrlu)

1. nostril
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Preface to Genesis"

     God ġesċōp ūs twā ēagan and twā ēaran, twā nosþirlu and twēġen weoloras, twā handa and twēġen fēt.

     God gave us two eyes and two ears, two nostrils and two lips, two hands and two feet.

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	nosþyrel	nosþyrlu
accusative	nosþyrel	nosþyrlu
genitive	nosþyrles	nosþyrla
dative	nosþyrle	nosþyrlum

Descendants

• Middle English: nostrille, nostrelle
  • English: nostril
• Middle English: nosethirl, nosethrille, nosethurl, nosethrul, nosetherel, nosethrel, nosethorl, nosederl, nosetrel, nosesterl
  • English: nosethirl (archaic)

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “nos-þyrel”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.