Meaning & use
nasalis
Last updated
UK/neɪˈzeɪ.lɪs/
US/neɪˈzeɪ.lɪs/
Meaning
nouncountablebiology
A thin facial muscle on the side of the nose that helps widen or narrow the nostrils.
Grammar: Countable in anatomy: the nasalis, on each side of the nose.
Patterns
- the nasalis muscle
The nasalis flares the nostrils when a person breathes hard.
Surgeons must avoid damaging the nasalis during nose reshaping.
Students learned to find the nasalis on the anatomy chart.
Word forms
| plural | nasales |
|---|
Common combinations
- nasalis muscle
- The nasalis muscle lets you wrinkle your nose.
- contract the nasalis
- You contract the nasalis to flare your nostrils.
- injury to the nasalis
- An injury to the nasalis can change how the nose moves.
- transverse part of the nasalis
- The transverse part of the nasalis compresses the nostril.
Synonyms and how they differ
- compressor naris
- This is an older name for part of the nasalis, used in older texts.
- nostril muscle
- This is a plain-English description, less precise than nasalis.
Word family
Commonly confused: nasalis or nasal?
nasalis vs nasal
Nasal is an adjective meaning of the nose, while nasalis names one specific muscle.
Practice
Which action mainly uses the nasalis?
Choose one answer.
The nasalis acts on the nostrils. Chewing, eyebrows and eyelids use other muscles.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nasalis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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