nuzzle
Plural: nuzzles
Verb
Verb Forms: nuzzled, nuzzling, nuzzles
- To gently push or rub with the nose or face.
- move or arrange oneself in a comfortable and cozy position
- rub noses
- dig out with the snout
- "the pig nuzzled the truffle"
- To push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something.
- To rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object.
- Chiefly of an animal: to dig (something, especially food) out of the ground using the nose or snout; to root.
- Often followed by in or into: to press or push the nose or snout, mouth, face, etc., against or into someone or something; to touch someone or something with the nose or snout, etc.
- Chiefly of an animal: to push the nose or snout into the ground to dig for something, especially food; to root, to rootle.
- Followed by down: to settle or lie comfortably and snugly in a bed, nest, etc.; to nestle.
- Chiefly followed by up or with: to press affectionately against someone or something; to nestle, to snuggle.
- To come into close contact with someone or something.
- To feel or probe with the fingers.
- Often followed by '''up or with: to nurture or train (oneself or someone) to act a certain way, have certain beliefs, etc.
- Often followed by '''up or with: to nurture or train (oneself or someone) to act a certain way, have certain beliefs, etc.
- To train (a dog or hawk) to attack prey.
- Chiefly followed by up: to bring up (someone); to foster, to rear; also, to educate (someone); to train.
- To care for (someone) affectionately; to hold dear (someone); to cherish, to nurse; also, to provide (someone or something) a comfortable and snug place to settle or lie (compare etymology 1, verb sense 2.3).
Noun
- An act of nuzzling (all verb senses).
Examples
- He tried to NUZZLE his way into a bonus square, but the tiles just wouldn’t align.
- She nuzzled her girlfriend in the cinema.
- The bird nuzzled up to the wires of the cage.
- The horse nuzzled its foal’s head gently to wake him up.
Origin / Etymology
PIE word
*néh₂s
The verb is derived from Middle English noselen (“to bend down”); further etymology uncertain, possibly:
* a back-formation from noseling, noselyng (“on the back, supine; with the face downward, prone”, adverb), from nose (“nose”) (from Old English nosu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂s (“nose”)) + -ling, -lyng (suffix forming adverbs denoting direction, manner, or position); or
* from nose (see above) + -el, -elen (diminutive or frequentative suffix) (in which case the English word is, by surface analysis, nose + -le (frequentative suffix)).
Sense 2.3 (“to settle or lie comfortably and snugly”) is possibly influenced by nestle or nursle (frequentative of nurse).
The noun is derived from the verb.
Compare nozzle.
Scrabble Score: 24
nuzzle: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordnuzzle: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
nuzzle: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary