Pout Names a Sulky Face and a Fish
To pout is to push out the lips in displeasure. A pout is also a kind of fish.
To pout is to push the lips forward in displeasure or to look sulky. The word also names a fish: the eelpout and the bib or pouting, so called for their swollen appearance. The connection is the shared idea of puffing out, and the verb probably comes from a Germanic root meaning to be inflated. The expression is genuinely universal — infants pout before they can speak, and the gesture appears across cultures without being taught.
- To push out the lips. *Pouting at the news.*
- A sulky expression. *A pout.*
- A fish. *An eelpout.*
- Pouty — inclined to pout. *Pouty.*
- Middle English — *pouten*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | pout | Pouting. |
| Noun | pout | A pout. |
| Past | pouted | Pouted. |
| Adjective | pouty | Pouty. |
| Compound | eelpout | An eelpout. |
- She pouted at the answer.Expression.
- An eelpout was caught.Fish.
- Infants pout before speaking.Universal.
Expressions found in every culture
- Smiling — recognised everywhere as pleasure
- The pout — displeasure, present in infants
- Disgust — the wrinkled nose and raised lip
- Surprise — raised brows and open mouth
- These are often called basic emotions
Middle English *pouten*, probably from a Germanic root meaning to be swollen or inflated.
Why is a fish called a pout?
For its swollen or puffed-out appearance, the same idea of inflation behind the facial expression.
Is pouting learned?
No. Infants pout before they can speak, and the gesture appears across cultures without being taught.