nuzzle

Etymology

The verb derives from Middle English noselen (“to bend down”); its further origin is uncertain, but two paths are possible. It may be a back-formation from noseling, noselyng (“on the back, supine; with the face downward, prone”, adverb), from nose (“nose”) — itself from Old English nosu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂s (“nose”) — plus -ling, -lyng (a suffix forming adverbs of direction, manner or position). Alternatively it may come from nose plus -el, -elen (a diminutive or frequentative suffix), in which case the English word can be analysed on the surface as nose + -le (frequentative suffix). Verb sense 2.3 (“to settle or lie comfortably and snugly”), under Etymology 1, may have been influenced by nestle or nursle (a frequentative of nurse). The noun comes from the verb. Compare nozzle.