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pince-nez

[ pans-ney, pins-; French pans-ney ]

/ ˈpænsˌneɪ, ˈpɪns-; French pɛ̃sˈneɪ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR pince-nez ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural pince-nez [pans-neyz, pins-; French pans-ney] /ˈpænsˌneɪz, ˈpɪns-; French pɛ̃sˈneɪ/.

a pair of glasses held on the face by a spring that grips the nose.

Origin of pince-nez

1875–80; < French: literally, (it) pinches (the) nose

Words nearby pince-nez

pinatubo, pinball, pinball machine, pinballer, pinbone, pince-nez, pincement, pincer movement, pincer nail, pincers, pincers movement

Example sentences from the Web for pince-nez

And Noel shook his head solemnly, and adjusted his pince-nez, and then helped himself liberally to the cold game pie.

Mollie's Prince |Rosa Nouchette Carey
Miss Beach took off her pince-nez, wiped them, and put them in their case.

The Luckiest Girl in the School |Angela Brazil
The Premier took out a pair of pince-nez and began to clean the lenses, still watching me.

The Blue Germ |Martin Swayne
Simon's pince-nez dropped from his nose in his doubt and wonder, but he answered at once.

The Innocence of Father Brown |G. K. Chesterton

Presently she handed the card to her uncle, who affixed his pince-nez and read the epistle with deliberation.

The Valley of the Giants |Peter B. Kyne

British Dictionary definitions for pince-nez

pince-nez

/ (ˈpænsˌneɪ, ˈpɪns-, French pɛ̃sne) /

noun plural pince-nez

eyeglasses that are held in place only by means of a clip over the bridge of the nose

Word Origin for pince-nez

C19: French, literally: pinch-nose