† ˈcamois, camus, a. (and n.) Obs.
Also 4 cammus, 5–8 camoise, -oys, -oyse, 6 ? -ous, 8 chamois.
[a. F. camus, -use, ‘having a short and flat nose’. Thurneysen refers it to a Celtic source, comparing the Ir. n. camus hollow, retreating angle, bay, Gael. camas bought, bay, creek, space between the thighs: cf. Cambus- in place-names in Scotland. For another suggestion see Diez, and Littré.]
1. Of the nose: low and concave. Of persons: pug-nosed.
| c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 4437 Ys browes were boþe rowe and grete, & ys nose cammus. c 1386 Chaucer Reeve's T. 14 Round was his face and camuse [so 3 MSS.; v.r. kamuse, camoyse, kammede, Harl. camois] was his nose. 1580 Baret Alv. C 44 A Camoise nose, that is to say, crooked vpwarde as the Morians. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. vi. x. 328 Many Spaniards..of the race of Barbary Moores..have not worne out the Camoys nose unto this day. 1650 Bulwer Anthropomet. vii. (1653) 123 The Inhabitants have all Camoyse or saddle Noses. 1745 tr. Columella's Husb. B vj, Such oxen..[as have] black eyes and lips, wide nostrils, a camoys nose. 1751 Chambers Cycl. s.v., The Tartars are great admirers of camus beauties. 1877 R. H. Horne in Mrs. Browning's Lett. II. 277 A gentleman..with a large camus nose. |
b. fig. Low and curved like a camois nose.
| 1664 Evelyn tr. Freart's Archit. xxi. 52 The Cornice is camuse and blunt. |
c. Hence camois-nosed.
| 1601 Holland Pliny I. 336 The former haue flat noses, the other are hooked and camoise nosed vpward. 1656 Blount Glossogr., Camoise-nosed, hooked nosed. |
2. absol. or quasi-n. A person or animal with a camois nose.
| 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. (1881) 94 The camuse..is geffroy langeuyn. 1515 Barclay Egloges iv. (1570) C vj, She with Bacchus her camous did promote. 1618 Sir R. Williams Actions Low Countr. 49 White little hounds, with crooked noses, called camuses. 1751 Chambers Cycl., Camus, a person with a low, flat nose, hollowed or sunk in the middle. |