| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| rictus |
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| SYLLABICATION: | ric·tus |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  r k t s |
| NOUN: | Inflected forms: pl. rictus or ric·tus·es
1. The expanse of an open mouth, a bird's beak, or similar structure. 2. A gaping grimace: “his mouth gaping in a kind of rictus of startled alarm” (Richard Adams). | | ETYMOLOGY: | Latin, from past participle of ring , to gape. | | OTHER FORMS: | rictal —ADJECTIVE
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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