Duchenne smile

noun

A smile involving contraction of both the zygomatic major muscle (which raises the corners of the mouth) and the orbicularis oculi (which raises the cheeks and forms crow's feet around the eyes).

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Meanings

nounDuchenne smile (plural Duchenne smiles)

plural Duchenne smiles

  1. A smile involving contraction of both the zygomatic major muscle (which raises the corners of the mouth) and the orbicularis oculi (which raises the cheeks and forms crow's feet around the eyes).

Origin

Named after the French physician Guillaume Duchenne de Boulogne (1806–1875) who identified it.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Duchenne smile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Duchenne%20smile

MLA

“Duchenne smile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Duchenne%20smile. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Duchenne smile,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Duchenne%20smile.

Source: Duchenne smile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.