flehmen

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 21, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>flehmen</strong> &#149; \FLAY-mun\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Flehmen</em> is a mammalian behavior (as of horses or cats) in which the animal inhales with the mouth open and upper lip curled. This is done to expose the nose to a scent.</p> <p>// The vet explained that what appeared to be a display of anger in the cat was called <em>flehmen</em>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flehmen">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"<em>Flehmen</em>, sometimes also called the <em>Flehmen</em> response or the <em>Flehmen</em> reaction, is actually a way of smelling or scenting the air. It's not peculiar to horses: other <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ungulate#h2">ungulates</a> exhibit the response, as well as cats, elephants, and bats. Lifting the upper lip gives them access to the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vomeronasal%20organ">vomeronasal organ</a> on the roof of their mouth, which contains chemoreceptors that help them find mates and investigate other smells in their environment." — <em>The</em> <em>McClusky (North Dakota) Gazette</em>, 10 Sept. 2020</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Flehmen</em> comes from German, in which the word applies to animals and means "to curl the upper lip." The German source of the English word is a verb, and it is used, infrequently, as <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flehmen#other-words">such</a>, as in "the horse flehmened." More often, the English verb form is a <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gerund">gerund</a>: "the horse's flehmening." <em>Flehmen</em> is sometimes capitalized in English because German nouns are capitalized; however, the English word tends to be lowercase.</p> <