Rictus Definition
rĭktəs
rictuses
noun
A sustained gaping, as of a bird's beak or an animal's mouth.
Webster's New World
A fixed, gaping grin.
Webster's New World
The opening so produced.
Webster's New World
The corner of the mouth or the fleshy area where the upper and lower mandibles of a bird meet.
American Heritage Medicine
Any open-mouthed expression.
'His face was a rictus of sheer delight.
Wiktionary
Other Word Forms of Rictus
Noun
Singular:
rictus
Plural:
rictusesOrigin of Rictus
-
From Latin rictus, participle of ringor (“open the mouth wide")
From Wiktionary
Latin from past participle of ringī to gape
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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