nuzzle

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈnʌzl̩/
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• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• General-American: /ˈnʌz(ə)l/
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• General-American: [ˈnʌzɫ̩]
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• rhymes with -ʌzəl
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• CMU ARPABET: N AH1 Z AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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The verb is derived from Middle English noselen (“to bend down”); further etymology uncertain, possibly: * a back-formation from noseling, noselyng (“on the back, supine; with the face downward, prone”, adverb), from nose (“nose”) (from Old English nosu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *néh2s (“nose”)) + -ling, -lyng (suffix forming adverbs denoting direction, manner, or position); or * from nose (see above) + -el, -elen (diminutive or frequentative suffix) (in which case the English word is, by surface analysis, nose + -le (frequentative suffix)). Etymology 1, verb sense 2.3 (“to settle or lie comfortably and snugly”) is possibly influenced by nestle or nursle (frequentative of nurse). The noun is derived from the verb. Compare nozzle.

Origin uncertain; appears to have a separate origin from nuzzle (etymology 1) due to the different meanings, but probably influenced by that word.

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Finnish: koskettaminen — act of nuzzling
• Finnish: painautuminen — act of nuzzling
• Finnish: työntää nenänsä — to push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something
• Finnish: työntää turpansa — to push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something
• Finnish: työntää kuononsa — to push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something
• Finnish: työntää kärsänsä — to push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something
• Finnish: työntää nokkansa — to push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something
• Chinese Mandarin: 用鼻子愛撫 /用鼻子爱抚 (yòng bízi àifǔ) — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Chinese Mandarin: 用鼻子掘 (yòng bízi jué) — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Dutch: snuffelen — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Finnish: koskettaa nenällä — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Finnish: koskettaa turvalla — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Finnish: koskettaa kuonolla — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Finnish: koskettaa kärsällä — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Finnish: koskettaa nokalla — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• French: fourrer son nez — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• German: hätscheln — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• German: schnüffeln — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• German: wühlen — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• German: liebkosen — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• German: sich anschmiegen — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Italian: annusare — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Italian: strofinare col naso — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Russian: ты́каться но́сом (týkatʹsja nósom) — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Russian: ню́хать (njúxatʹ) — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Russian: тере́ться но́сом о (terétʹsja nósom o) — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Spanish: frotar la nariz — to rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object
• Czech: otírat se — to press or push the nose or snout, mouth, face, etc., against or into someone or something; to touch someone or something with the nose or snout, etc.
• Finnish: koskettaa nenällä — to press or push the nose or snout, mouth, face, etc., against or into someone or something; to touch someone or something with the nose or snout, etc.
• Finnish: koskettaa turvalla — to press or push the nose or snout, mouth, face, etc., against or into someone or something; to touch someone or something with the nose or snout, etc.
• Finnish: koskettaa kuonolla — to press or push the nose or snout, mouth, face, etc., against or into someone or something; to touch someone or something with the nose or snout, etc.
• Finnish: koskettaa kärsällä — to press or push the nose or snout, mouth, face, etc., against or into someone or something; to touch someone or something with the nose or snout, etc.
• Finnish: koskettaa nokalla — to press or push the nose or snout, mouth, face, etc., against or into someone or something; to touch someone or something with the nose or snout, etc.
• Czech: otírat se — to come into close contact with someone or something
• Czech: tulit se — to come into close contact with someone or something
• Finnish: painautua — to come into close contact with someone or something