Hooknoses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Describing individuals with prominently curved or bent nasal structures; referring to a style of nose shaped like a hook; characterizing features involving a pronounced downward bend in the nasal bridge
2. Pertaining to persons whose noses have a sharp downward curve resembling a hook; indicating a facial trait marked by a curved nose; used to specify a distinctive nasal shape bent forward and down
3. Relating to a pronounced hooked nasal appearance in certain people; denoting a nasal contour with a hooked curve; describing a facial feature where the nose projects and curves sharply downward

Etymology: "Hooknoses" is the plural of "hooknose," a compound formed from the ordinary English words "hook" and "nose." The pattern is transparent: the first element describes the shape, and the second names the body part, so a hooknose is literally a nose shaped like a hook. Compounds of this kind, built from two plain native words, were a productive way of naming physical features in English, and this one needs no further history to explain it.

Synonyms: aquiline noses, curved noses

Antonyms: flat noses, button noses