Etymology

philtrum

phil·trum
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Today it means: The shallow vertical groove running from the nasal septum to the center of the upper lip. Full definition →

Latin philtrum ← Ancient Greek φῐ́λτρον
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromφῐ́λτρον“a love charm; the dimple in the upper lip”
  2. Latin · borrowed fromphiltrum“a love potion”
  3. English todayphiltrum

Borrowed from the Latin philtrum (“a love potion”), from Ancient Greek φῐ́λτρον (phĭ́ltron, “a love charm; the dimple in the upper lip”). Doublet of philter.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.