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aquiline

/ˈækwəlaɪn/
/ˈækwəlaɪn/
IPA guide

Aquiline means like an eagle, so if someone tells you you have an aquiline nose, it means your nose looks like an eagle’s beak. Believe it or not, this is a compliment.

Aquiline comes from the Latin word aquila, for eagle. The ancient Greeks and Romans were crazy about eagles, and thought that if you saw an eagle flying on a significant day, like a battle, it was a sign that you were going to win. So it was a big compliment to say someone’s features were aquiline. It almost always refers to a long, curving nose. We also call it a "Roman nose."

Definitions of aquiline
  1. adjective
    curved down like an eagle's beak
    synonyms: hooked
    crooked
    having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned
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