Physiognomy (Noun)
Meaning
The human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face' and `phiz' is British).
Classification
Nouns denoting body parts.
Usages
Examples
- Her face is not just a collection of features, it's an entirety, a physiognomy that can turn cold in an instant.
- No other part of the human body can express as many emotions through subtle movements as the physiognomy of the face.
- Most people can remember the faces of politicians through repeated exposure to the media, often associating certain physiognomies with authority.
- In law enforcement and intelligence circles, experts try to deduce suspects' intentions from the physiognomy of their faces in photographs and on surveillance footage.
- Reading someone's physiognomy by claiming eye spacing or nostril width determines intelligence and personality is not generally accepted by the scientific community.