philtrum means the shallow vertical groove running from the nasal septum to the center of the upper lip. It carries an Arena rating of 1539, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, philtrum ranks #121 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #251 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #621 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #1,412 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
philtrum is pronounced /ˈfɪl.tɹəm/.
Why “philtrum” is a great word
The shallow vertical groove in the midline of the upper lip, extending from the nasal septum to the lip's tubercle. From the Latin philtrum ("a love potion"), from the Ancient Greek φίλτρον (phíltron, "a love charm; the dimple in the upper lip"), the anatomical sense arose in post-classical Latin and first attested in English circa 1600–1610. Unlike "dimple," a buoyant hollow of cheek or chin, or "cleft," a clinical separation, the philtrum is a subtle, central incision of perfect, universal design. It is the delicate seam where the embryonic face once fused, the faint channel a fingertip traces in absent thought, the silent rivulet down which a kiss or a tear may find its course—a permanent trace of our assembly, pressed into the clay.
Etymology
Borrowed from the Latin philtrum (“a love potion”), from Ancient Greek φῐ́λτρον (phĭ́ltron, “a love charm; the dimple in the upper lip”). Doublet of philter.
noun
- The shallow vertical groove running from the nasal septum to the center of the upper lip.
- The junction between the two halves of an animal's upper lip or nose.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.