snout

/snaʊt/

/snaʊt/

Other forms: snouts

An animal's long, protruding nose is often called a snout. The tricky part, though, is that not all long animal noses are called snouts.

An elephant has a very long nose, but we don't call it a snout, we call it a trunk. A horse's nose is rarely referred to as a snout, because it's really their whole face that's long. Birds have beaks. Most dogs have a snout, except for pugs and boxers and other dogs with smashed-in faces. Bears have snouts, as do rats. Do yourself a favor, though, and never tell a person that they have a snout, no matter how large their nose is. Believe it or not, snout may actually be a cousin of the word snot: that should help you remember it!

Definitions of snout

1. noun

   a long projecting or anterior elongation of an animal's head; especially the nose
   synonyms: neb

   types:

   proboscis, trunk

   a long flexible snout as of an elephant

   type of:

   nose, olfactory organ

   the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
2. noun

   beaklike projection of the anterior part of the head of certain insects such as e.g. weevils
   synonyms: rostrum

   type of:

   nose, olfactory organ

   the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
3. noun

   informal terms for the nose
   synonyms: beak, honker, hooter, nozzle, schnoz, schnozzle, snoot

   type of:

   nose, olfactory organ

   the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals