rictus

Definition

A bird’s gaping mouth.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin rictus.

Example Sentences

• "His face was a rictus of sheer delight."
• "Amid a thick, bristling beard, a nose like an owl's beak and a mouth whose corners were drawn by a wild-beast-like rictus were just discernible."
• "A rictus of cruel malignity lit up greyly their old bony faces."