physiognomy

C2 Topic:People & Society

US /ˌfɪziˈɑːɡnəmi/ UK /ˌfɪziˈɒnəmi/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a person's facial features or expression, especially when regarded as indicative of character

His stern physiognomy gave little away.
2

noun
the supposed art of judging character from facial features

In earlier centuries, physiognomy was treated as a serious field of study.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person's facial features... features countenance visage face mien

2 noun · the supposed art of judging... face-readingcharacterology

Etymology

From Greek physis ('nature') + gnomon ('judge; interpreter'), forming physiognomonia; via Latin and Old French into Middle English physiognomy 'the art of judging character from the face'.

Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

# physiognomy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˌfɪziˈɑːɡnəmi
**IPA (UK):** ˌfɪziˈɒnəmi

## Meanings
1. a person's facial features or expression, especially when regarded as indicative of character
2. the supposed art of judging character from facial features

## Examples
- His stern physiognomy gave little away.
- In earlier centuries, physiognomy was treated as a serious field of study.

## Synonyms
- features
- countenance
- visage
- face
- mien
- face-reading
- characterology

## Etymology
From Greek physis ('nature') + gnomon ('judge; interpreter'), forming physiognomonia; via Latin and Old French into Middle English physiognomy 'the art of judging character from the face'.

## AI Etymology
Physiognomy comes from Greek physis ('nature') + gnomon ('judge; interpreter'), forming physiognomonia; via Latin and Old French into Middle English physiognomy 'the art of judging character from the face'. In current use it is a noun meaning "a person's facial features or expression, especially when regarded as indicative of character". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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