What are nares

[sneezefan222]

I’ve heard the term used a lot before, but I have no idea what they are 😅 can someone please explain?

[Sneeze-aholic]

I think that it's basically the same as nostril. 

[sneezefan222]

7 minutes ago, Sneeze-aholic said:

I think that it's basically the same as nostril. 

🤷🏼‍♂️

[PantheraPardus]

As Sneeze-aholic said, the usual use (at least, the typical usage for us) is equivalent to “nostrils.” Technically, though, a “naris” (the singular form) refers to either of the openings of the nasal cavity, both the external ones (the nostrils) and the internal ones (where the nasal cavity meets the pharynx). Per the dictionary definition, “nares” can also be broadly used to refer to the entirety of the nasal passages, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it used that way (perhaps it would just be as a sort of synecdoche?).