An Aquiline nose (also called Roman nose, hook nose or beak nose) is a human nose with a prominent bridge, giving it the appearance of being curved or slightly bent. The word aquiline comes from the Latin word aquilinus ("eagle-like"), a reference to the curved beak of an eagle.
In Crania Americana Samuel George Morton (1799-1851) had attempted to divide humankind primarily into four races, each distinguished by certain physical characteristics. He stated that this type of nose is primarily found among Mediterraneans and in the Middle East. Of Native Americans, he wrote that they were "marked by a brown complexion; long, black, lank hair; and deficient beard. The eyes are black and deep set, the brow low, the cheekbones high, the nose large and aquiline, the mouth large, and the lips tumid and compressed".
Other ethnic groups said to have aquiline noses were the Kazakhs (Central Asia), the Shagia (Africa), the Abipones (South America), and the Kabbabish (Africa).