noun
physiognomy
fiz-ee-AH-nuh-mee/ˌfɪziˈɑːnəmi/
A person's facial features or appearance.
The portrait captures her distinctive physiognomy, especially her prominent cheekbones.
Etymology
The pieces describe interpreting a person's nature from facial features. The name for that practice also came to denote the face and expressions being interpreted.
In context
That merry scamp’s face whose beaming had so often restored serenity to the priest’s sombre physiognomy, was now powerless to melt the gloom
More examples
- His broad forehead and square jaw give his physiognomy a striking appearance.
- Despite their different hairstyles, the twins have nearly identical physiognomies.
- The novelist describes each character's physiognomy in remarkable detail.
Forms
physiognomy · physiognomies
Similar words
- face
- The everyday word for the front of the head.
- countenance
- Often emphasizes facial expression rather than the features themselves.
- visage
- A literary term for the face or its appearance.