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  1. rictus love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. The expanse of an open mouth, a bird's beak, or similar structure.
  2. n. A gaping grimace: "his mouth gaping in a kind of rictus of startled alarm” ( Richard Adams).

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. In ornithology, the gape of the bill; the cleft between the upper and the lower mandible when the mouth is open.
  2. n. In botany, the throat, as of a calyx, corolla, etc.; the opening between the lips of a ringent or personate flower.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A bird's gaping mouth
  2. n. Any open-mouthed expression

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. The gape of the mouth, as of birds; -- often resricted to the corners of the mouth.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a gaping grimace

Etymologies

  1. From Latin rictus, participle of ringor ("open the mouth wide") (Wiktionary)
  2. Latin, from past participle of ringī, to gape. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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Lists

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Comments

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  • bilby "A rictus of cruel malignity lit up greyly their old bony faces."
    - James Joyce, 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'. Aug 26, 2009

  • hernesheir (n): the gape of the mouth, as of birds; often specifically the corners of the mouth. Jan 1, 2009

  • bookhling *I said smile, not horrible rictus!*
    from the Questionable Content Sep 13, 2008

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‘rictus’ has been looked up 3518 times, loved by 11 people, added to 65 lists, commented on 3 times, and has a Scrabble score of 8.