facial angle

American  

noun

1. Craniometry. the angle formed by a line from nasion to prosthion at its intersection with the plane of the Frankfurt horizontal.

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facial angle British  

noun

1. the angle formed between a line from the base of the nose to the opening of the ear and a line from the base of the nose to the most prominent part of the forehead: often used in comparative anthropology

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Etymology

Origin of facial angle

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

facial angle

Considerable emphasis used to be laid on the facial angle between a line drawn parallel to the base of the skull and one obliquely vertical touching the teeth and most prominent portion of the forehead.

From The Whence and the Whither of Man A Brief History of His Origin and Development through Conformity to Environment; Being the Morse Lectures of 1895 by John Mason Tyler

It may be said that there is some organic correlation between increased size of brain and decreased size of jaw: Camper's doctrine of the facial angle being referred to in proof.

From Essays: Scientific, Political, & Speculative, Vol. I by Herbert Spencer

One bas-relief represents the human head, with the facial angle shown at forty-five degrees.

From History of Human Society by Frank W. (Frank Wilson) Blackmar

On the contrary, the head was smaller, the hair finer, the complexion several shades lighter, and the facial angle totally different.

From Caxton's Book: A Collection of Essays, Poems, Tales, and Sketches. by W. H. (William Henry) Rhodes

Investigations have shown that facial angle and capacity of cranium and cephalic index afford no certain criterion of thought power or susceptibility to culture.

From A Review of Hoffman's Race Traits and Tendencies of the American Negro The American Negro Academy. Occasional Papers No. 1 by Kelly Miller