nosþyrel

Old English

FWOTD – 13 September 2021

Alternative forms

• næsþȳrel

Etymology

From nosu (“nose”) +‎ þȳrel (“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): /ˈnosˌθyː.rel/

Noun

nosþȳrel n (nominative plural nosþȳrlu)

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

     God ġesċōp ūs twā ēagan and twā ēaran, twā nosþȳrlu 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

Declension of nosþyrel (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	nosþȳrel	nosþȳrlu
accusative	nosþȳrel	nosþȳrlu
genitive	nosþȳrles	nosþȳrla
dative	nosþȳrle	nosþȳrlum

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.