physiognomy
the face or countenance, especially when considered as an index to the character: a fierce physiognomy.
Also called anthroposcopy. the art of determining character or personal characteristics from the form or features of the body, especially of the face.
the outward appearance of anything, taken as offering some insight into its character: the physiognomy of a nation.
Origin of physiognomy
1Other words from physiognomy
- phys·i·og·nom·ic [fiz-ee-og-nom-ik, ‐ee-uh-nom‐], /ˌfɪz i ɒgˈnɒm ɪk, ‐i əˈnɒm‐/, phys·i·og·nom·i·cal, phys·i·og·no·mon·ic [fiz-ee-og-nuh-mon-ik, ‐on-uh‐], /ˌfɪz iˌɒg nəˈmɒn ɪk, ‐ˌɒn ə‐/, phys·i·og·no·mon·i·cal, adjective
- phys·i·og·nom·i·cal·ly, phys·i·og·no·mon·i·cal·ly, adverb
- phys·i·og·no·mist, noun
Words Nearby physiognomy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use physiognomy in a sentence
The nude of the 19th century was often a tool for anatomical study: an intellectualized and idealized approach to physiognomy.
‘Masculin/Masculin,’ a Retrospective of Male Nudity in Art, Opens in Paris | Sarah Moroz | September 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAs George Eliot says: “We get the fonder of our houses if they have a physiognomy of their own, as our friends have.”
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowHis legs are thin, his tail bare, his physiognomy dark, and his skin as black as his hair.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VIII (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de BuffonI find, for one thing, she had given much of her physiognomy to the Friedrich now born.
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. I. (of XXI.) | Thomas CarlyleHollister, however, had not come there to make a study of Mr. Lewis' physiognomy or manner.
The Hidden Places | Bertrand W. Sinclair
One finds in Van Dyck no such expressively nervous physiognomy.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4) | Richard Muther
British Dictionary definitions for physiognomy
/ (ˌfɪzɪˈɒnəmɪ) /
a person's features or characteristic expression considered as an indication of personality
the art or practice of judging character from facial features
the outward appearance of something, esp the physical characteristics of a geographical region
Origin of physiognomy
1Derived forms of physiognomy
- physiognomic (ˌfɪzɪəˈnɒmɪk) or physiognomical, adjective
- physiognomically, adverb
- physiognomist, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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