Thursday, November 4, 2010

What's the origin of the word "moustache"?


Search
: moustache etymology

Why: It's Movember. Jason posted these Toms yesterday:
Also, Moses just spelled "mustachioed" like "moustacheuod."

Answer: It has something to do with mouths!
  • 1580s, from Fr. moustache, from It. mostaccio
  • From Medieval Gk. moustakion, dim. of Doric mystax (gen. mystakos) "upper lip, mustache," related to mastax "jaws, mouth," lit. "that with which one chews"
Like masticate. Durr.
  • Borrowed earlier (1550s) as mostacchi, from the It. word or its Sp. derivative mostacho. The plural form of this, mustachios, lingers in English.
Source: EtymOnline

The More You Know: Also,
Dutch slang has a useful noun, de befborstel, to refer to the mustache specifically as a tool for stimulating the clitoris; probably from beffen "to stimulate the clitoris with the tongue."
Horf.

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