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mus·tache also mous·tache

(mŭstăsh′, mə-stăsh)

1. The hair growing on the human upper lip, especially when cultivated and groomed.

2. Something similar to the cultivated, groomed hair on the human upper lip, as:

a. A group of bristles or hairs about the mouth of an animal.

b. Distinctive coloring or feathers near the beak of a bird.

c. Food or drink sticking conspicuously to the upper lip: wiped the milk mustache from my face.

[French moustache, from Italian dialectal mustaccio, from Medieval Greek moustakion, from Greek mustax, mustache, upper lip.]

mustached (mŭstăsht, mə-stăsht) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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