pince-nez

[ pans-ney, pins-; French pans-ney ]
See synonyms for pince-nez on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural pince-nez [pans-neyz, pins-; French pans-ney]. /ˈpænsˌneɪz, ˈpɪns-; French pɛ̃sˈneɪ/.
  1. a pair of glasses held on the face by a spring that grips the nose.

Origin of pince-nez

1
1875–80; <French: literally, (it) pinches (the) nose

Words Nearby pince-nez

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pince-nez in a sentence

  • The bushy-haired Russian Jew in the pince-nez was an ardent revolutionary but also a genuine democrat, or so the legend goes.

    The Trotsky Legend Debunked | Michael Kazin | December 8, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Walter Fetherston glanced at the general through his pince-nez with a curious expression, but he did not join in the conversation.

    The Doctor of Pimlico | William Le Queux
  • John Maltwood, the quiet, youngish-looking man in the gold pince-nez, was popular everywhere over the country-side.

    The Doctor of Pimlico | William Le Queux
  • Every action of the doctor had been noted, and information of it conveyed to the quiet-mannered man in pince-nez.

    The Doctor of Pimlico | William Le Queux
  • Old Van's possible confidant, instead of immediately answering, again assumed the pince-nez.

    The Awkward Age | Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for pince-nez

pince-nez

/ (ˈpænsˌneɪ, ˈpɪns-, French pɛ̃sne) /


nounplural pince-nez
  1. eyeglasses that are held in place only by means of a clip over the bridge of the nose

Origin of pince-nez

1
C19: French, literally: pinch-nose

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012