Hawknose

/ˈhɔːknoʊz/ noun

Definition

A prominent, hooked nose shaped like a hawk's curved beak.

Etymology

From 'hawk' + 'nose.' Emerged as a descriptive term in the 1500s to describe noses with the distinctive curved downward hook of a hawk's beak. Used in literature and portraiture to characterize faces.

Kelly Says

Medieval and Renaissance art used 'hawknose' as a shorthand character descriptor—hooked noses appeared frequently on portraits of cunning merchants or calculating politicians, showing how animal features were literally applied to human moral stereotypes (a problematic practice with ugly historical consequences).

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