I had somehow never encountered the word before now. Then, last weekend, I was presented with a framed cartoon of myself at work, by the Cuban artist Brady Izquierdo Rodriguez. And when a friend with a classical education saw the result, she commented with approval that it had given me a very pronounced “philtrum”.
“A what?” I thought, growing worried. But as I now know, the philtrum is not a cause for concern, (usually). It’s just that little indentation on your upper lip, directly below the nose.
The word comes from the Greek philtron, meaning “love potion”, although I have never knowingly drank one of those and their connection with the facial feature is not immediately obvious.
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