nostril: Entire Entry

ноздрї nostril

Ћн зажђл себљ нћздри, чтћбы не чџвствовать зђпах гниљния.

He pinched his nostrils so that he wouldn't smell the stench of decay.

Semantics

This entry is concerned with the word нћздри denoting the nostrils of human beings and animals. No specific words or expressions exist for the nostrils of animals. Common sense will dictate which of the expressions in this entry can or cannot be used to refer to animals.

Morphology

ноздрї EE NPlur. нћздри; f.in.noun

Syntax

Syntactic actants

Actant 1: whose nostrils they are
(a) Genitive
(b) Possessive

Нћздри Тђни гнљвно вздрђгивали.	Tanya's nostrils quivered angrily.
Нћздри егћ гнљвно вздрђгивали.	His nostrils quivered angrily.
NB When the word нћздри functions as a subject and does not have a descriptive modifier, the construction нћздри у + Genitive is often preferred to (a) and (b), above:
Нћздри у мђльчика бІли зђткнуты вђтой.	The boy had wads of cotton in his nostrils.

Restrictive modifiers

(a) adjectival modifier

лљвая/прђвая ноздрї	the left/right nostril
Лљвая ноздрї у мђльчика былђ зђткнута вђтой.	There was a wad of cotton in the boy's left nostril.

Lexical Relationships

What it is a part of

нћс	nose
NB The word нћс requires a modifier in combination with the headword, e.g.
нћздри егћ прямћго нћса_g	the nostrils of his straight nose

Size, shape, and other visible properties

большќе нћздри	large nostrils
мђленькие нћздри	small nostrils
тћнко вІрезанные нћздри	finely shaped nostrils
изћгнутые нћздри	curved nostrils
вІвернутые нћздри	up-turned nostrils
волосђтые нћздри	hairy nostrils

Smelling

*бќть [no Pf.]: зђпах_n бьёт в нћздри_a*	a strong smell assaults one's nostrils
Зђпах горљлого бќл в нћздри.	The stench of something burning assaulted my nostrils.

Movements and gestures

зажимђть/зажђть нћздри_a	to pinch one's nose
NB The above expression describes an action performed so as not to smell something unpleasant.
зажимђть/зажђть однџ ноздрє_a	to pinch one nostril
NB The above expression usually describes what one does to close one nostril while leaving the other free to snort tobacco or narcotics, use a nasal spray, clear one nasal passage, etc.
вздрђгивать [no Pf.]: нћздри_n вздрђгивают; трепетђть [no Pf.]: нћздри_n трепљщут	someone's nostrils quiver
*раздувђться [no Pf.]: нћздри_n раздувђются*	someone's nostrils flare
NB When applied to humans, the above expression usually describes a symptom of anger.

Other expressions

выпускђть/вІпустить дІм_a (or стрџйки_a дІма_g) из ноздрљй_g	to blow smoke (or streams of smoke) out one's nostrils
идтќ/пойтќ: у N_g идёт пђр_n из ноздрљй_g	N's breath is visible
NB N here usually denotes an animal, especially a horse:
У лћшади шёл пђр из ноздрљй.	Steam came from the horse's nostrils.

Sample texts

Ничегћ не отвљтив, слћвно егћ нљ было, — тћлько вздрћгнули нћздри џзкого нћса, — онђ повернџлась на стџле,.. достђла с буфљта сзђди пљпельницу, постђвила у тарљлки, сбрћсила пљпел. [В. Набћков, Дђр]	Without a word of reply, as if he was not there — only the nostrils of her narrow nose quivered — she turned in her chair,.. obtained an ashtray from the sideboard behind her, placed it by her plate and flicked some ash into it. [V. Nabokov, The Gift]
Жљня Сморћдина, когдђ вселїла в слђбого, суетлќвого мџжа дџх борьбІ и протљста, самђ на глазђх хорошљла: глазђ совсљм темнљли,.. нћздри прямћго нћса вздрђгивали... [В. Шукшќн]	When Zhenya Smorodina was trying to inspire aggression and protest in her weak, fussy husband, her looks improved: her eyes seemed darker,.. and the nostrils of her straight nose quivered... [V. Shukshin]
Ничегћ, ничегћ, — бІстро сказђл господќн и вІпустил двљ тћнких струќ дІма из ноздрљй вдрџг сџзившегося нћса. [В. Набћков, Защќта Лџжина]	*"Never mind, never mind," said the other quickly and expelled two thin streams of smoke through the nostrils of his suddenly narrowed nose. [V. Nabokov, The Defense]*
Рысђк вскќнул гћлову, нћздри егћ трепетђли, ћн стрќг ушђми и подрђгивал мџскулами. [В. Сорћкин, Ромђн]	The trotter threw back his head, his nostrils trembled, he twitched his ears and his muscles quivered. [V. Sorokin, "Roman"]