pince-nez (n.)

folding eyeglasses kept in place on the nose by a spring-clip, by 1853, French, literally "pinch-nose," from pincer "to pinch" (see pinch (v.)) + nez "nose" (from Latin nasus, from PIE root *nas- "nose").

also from 1853

Entries linking to pince-nez

pinch (v.)

early 13c., pinchen, "to pluck (an eyebrow);" mid-14c. "compress between the finger and thumb or some device, squeeze between two hard, opposing bodies," from Old North French *pinchier "to pinch, squeeze, nip; steal" (Old French pincier, Modern French pincer), a word of uncertain origin, possibly from Vulgar Latin *punctiare "to pierce," which might be a blend of Latin punctum "point" + *piccare "to pierce."

From mid-14c. as "to pain, torment." Of tight shoes, from 1570s. Meaning "to steal" in English is from 1650s. Sense of "to be stingy" is recorded from early 14c. Related: Pinched; pinching.

*nas-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "nose."

It forms all or part of: nares; nark; nasal; nasopharynx; nasturtium; ness; nose; nostril; nozzle; nuzzle; pince-nez.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit nasa, Old Persian naham, Latin nasus, Old Church Slavonic nasu, Lithuanian nosis, Old English nosu, German Nase "nose."

Trends of pince-nez

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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updated on December 29, 2020

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Pindaric