mustache

mustache
mustache (n.) 1580s, from Fr. moustache (15c.), from It. mostaccio, from Medieval Gk. moustakion, dim. of Doric mystax (gen. mystakos) "upper lip, mustache," related to mastax "jaws, mouth," lit. "that with which one chews," from PIE root *mendh- "to chew" (see MANDIBLE (Cf. mandible)).
Borrowed earlier (1550s) as mostacchi, from the Italian word or its Spanish derivative mostacho. The plural form of this, mustachios, lingers in English. Dutch slang has a useful noun, de befborstel, to refer to the mustache specifically as a tool for stimulating the clitoris; probably from beffen "to stimulate the clitoris with the tongue."

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • mustache — [mus′tash΄, məs tash′] n. [Fr moustache < It mostacchio, mustache < MGr mustaki < Gr mystax, upper lip, mustache < mastax, a mouth, jaws < IE base * menth > MOUTH] 1. a) the hair that a man has let grow out on his upper lip:… …   English World dictionary

  • Mustache — Mus*tache (m[u^]s*t[.a]sh ; 277), n.; pl. {Mustaches}. [Written also {moustache}.] [F. moustache, It. mostaccio visage, mostacchio mustache, fr. Gr. my stax upper lip and the beard upon it; cf. ma stax mouth: cf. Sp. mostacho.] 1. That part of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mustache — (esp. Brit. moustache) ► NOUN ▪ a strip of hair left to grow above a man s upper lip. DERIVATIVES mustached adjective. ORIGIN French, from Greek mustax …   English terms dictionary

  • mustache — mustached, adj. /mus tash, meuh stash /, n. 1. the hair growing on the upper lip 2. such hair on men, allowed to grow without shaving, and often trimmed in any of various shapes. 3. hairs or bristles growing near the mouth of an animal. 4. a… …   Universalium

  • mustache — n mustachio, Sl. tickler, whiskers, lip hair, Sl. soupstrainer; handlebar mustache, toothbrush mustache, Sl. brush, Inf. fuzz …   A Note on the Style of the synonym finder

  • mustache — also moustache noun Etymology: Middle French moustache, from Old Italian mustaccio, from Middle Greek moustaki, diminutive of Greek mystak , mystax upper lip, mustache Date: 1585 1. the hair growing on the human upper lip; especially such hair… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • mustache — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. hairline, toothbrush, Charlie Chaplin, Hitler, Kaiser Wilhelm, waxed, handlebar, or walrus mustache; soup strainer, tickler, cookie duster (all sl.). See roughness. II (Roget s IV) n. Syn. moustachio …   English dictionary for students

  • mustache — mus|tache [məˈsta:ʃ US ˈmʌstæʃ] n [Date: 1500 1600; : French; Origin: moustache, from Italian mustaccio, from Medieval Greek moustaki, from Greek mystax upper lip, mustache ] the usual American spelling of ↑moustache …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • mustache — mus|tache [ mʌstæʃ ] noun count * the hair that a man can grow on his upper lip a. mustaches plural a long thick mustache …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • mustache — US var. of MOUSTACHE. * * * mustache see moustache …   Useful english dictionary

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