n., pl., rictus, or -tus·es.
- The expanse of an open mouth, a bird's beak, or similar structure.
- A gaping grimace: "his mouth gaping in a kind of rictus of startled alarm" (Richard Adams).
[Latin, from past participle of ringī, to gape.]
rictal ric'tal adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
