Osculate

I was reading a review about a local TV show and the writer used the word "osculate" to describe a scene between the two lovers in the story....Osculate, says m-w.com, means "kiss."  Whew!  New word...but really, why use "osculate" when you can just use "kiss?"  Our dog Trixie, smart that she is, wouldn't oblige if I tell her to osculate me. But she will certainly rub her wet nose on my nose when I tell her to kiss me.

No, this is not Trixie...she is Mizzy, our eldest dog (though this pic was taken when she was just a few human-months old).  She is just as smart as Trixie but snooty and yappy at the same time :)  And yes, she also likes to osculate all of us at home.  :)