Word to the Wise: Philtrum

The "philtrum" (FIL-trum) - from the Greek for "to love; to kiss" - is the vertical depression in the center of the upper lip, directly under the tip of the nose.

Example (as used by Emily Yoffe in Slate): "[The day care workers] endlessly rip off wads [of toilet paper] and wipe little philtrums, like rescue workers mopping off seabirds after an oil spill."

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