Noun: the part of the face used for smelling and breathing. Verb: to push or move forward slowly, or to search by smelling or looking closely.
From Old English “nosu,” related to German “Nase” and Latin “nasus,” all meaning “nose.” It’s an ancient word, shared across many Indo-European languages.
Because the nose leads the face, “to nose forward” or “nose around” uses the body part as a metaphor for exploring. Even “news” is historically related to “nose,” both hinting at ‘sniffing out’ what’s new.
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