nuzzle (nuzzles, present participle nuzzling; past and past participle nuzzled)

1. (ambitransitive) (of animals, lovers, etc) To touch someone or something with the nose.

   The horse nuzzled its foal's head gently to wake him up.

   The bird nuzzled up to the wires of the cage.

   She nuzzled her boyfriend in the cinema.

2. (obsolete) To nurse; to foster; to bring up.
   • 1641, John Milton, Of Reformation Touching Church-Discipline in England: And the Cavvses that hitherto have hindred it., Printed, for Thomas Underhill; republished as Will Taliaferro Hale, editor, Of Reformation Touching Church-Discipline in England (Yale Studies in English; LIV), New Haven: Yale University Press, 1916, OCLC 260112239 ↗:

     The people had been nuzzled in idolatry.

3. (obsolete) To nestle; to house, as in a nest.
4. (obsolete) To go along with the nose to the ground, like a pig.

   • He charged through an army of lawyers, sometimes with sword in hand, at other times nuzzling like an eel in the mud.

   • 1733-1738, Alexander Pope, Imitations of Horace:

     The blessed benefit, not there confin'd, / Drops to the third, who nuzzles close behind.

• nursle

• French: fourrer son nez
• German: hätscheln, schnüffeln, wühlen, liebkosen, sich anschmiegen
• Italian: annusare, strofinare col naso
• Russian: тыкаться нос (týkatʹsja nósom), ню́хать
• Spanish: frotar la nariz