prusten

P3R1U1S1T1E1N1
/ˈpɹuːst(ə)n/

noun

A sound made by tigers and snow leopards without the intent to threaten, producing a breathy snort by blowing through the nostrils whilst the mouth is closed — a low-frequency equivalent of the purring found in domestic cats.

Similar
chuffchuffle
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

nounprusten (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA sound made by tigers and snow leopards without the intent to threaten, producing a breathy snort by blowing through the nostrils whilst the mouth is closed — a low-frequency equivalent of the purring found in domestic cats.

    Prusten is the quietest of tiger calls, a puff through the nose to express friendliness and harmless intentions.

    ibidem, pages 163–164
    1 more example

    He made a sound, a snort from his nostrils. I pricked up my ears. He did it a second time. I was astonished. Prusten?

    2001, Yann Martel, chapter 57, in Life of Pi, Canongate, published 2003, →ISBN, page 163

    Synonyms: chuff, chuffle

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA sound made by tigers and snow leopards without the intent to threaten, producing a breathy snort by blowing through the nostrils whilst the mouth is closed — a low-frequency equivalent of the purring found in domestic cats.

Similar
chuffchuffle

Origin

From the German verb prusten (“to sneeze, to snort”).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

punterspunster
Cite this entry
APA

prusten. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prusten

MLA

“prusten.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prusten. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prusten,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prusten.

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