nasalis

N1A1S1A1L1I1S1
US/neɪˈzeɪ.lɪs/US/neɪˈseɪ.lɪs/

noun

A small muscle on each side of the nose that constricts the nasal aperture by the action of a triangular transverse portion which draws the lateral part of the aperture upward and a quadrangular alar portion which draws it downward.

OriginNew Latin nāsālis →
Scrabble 7
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Meanings

nounnasalis (plural nasales)

plural nasales

  1. anatomyA small muscle on each side of the nose that constricts the nasal aperture by the action of a triangular transverse portion which draws the lateral part of the aperture upward and a quadrangular alar portion which draws it downward.

Origin

  1. New Latinnāsālis
  2. Englishnasalis

Unadapted borrowing from New Latin nāsālis, ellipsis of mūsculus nāsālis (“nasal muscle”). Doublet of nasal.

More words from New Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 鼻肌
  • 鼻肌 (bíjī)muscle
Italian nasale, musculo nasale
  • nasalemuscle
  • musculo nasalemuscle
Māori ua ihu
  • ua ihumuscle

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with nasalis

chehalisfrontalistemporalisansa cervicalislingualismentalisoccipitalisoccipitofrontalisorbitalisvocalis
All rhymes →

Anagrams

salinas
Cite this entry
APA

nasalis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nasalis

MLA

“nasalis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nasalis. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nasalis,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nasalis.

Source: nasalis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.