facies

American  

[fey-shee-eez, -sheez] / ˈfeɪ ʃiˌiz, -ʃiz /

noun

facies plural

1. general appearance, as of an animal or vegetable group.

2. Geology. the appearance and characteristics of a sedimentary deposit, especially as they reflect the conditions and environment of deposition and serve to distinguish the deposit from contiguous deposits.

3. Medicine/Medical. a facial expression characteristic of a disease or pathological condition.

4. Archaeology. a distinctive phase of a prehistoric cultural tradition.

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facies British  

/ ˈfeɪʃɪˌiːz /

noun

1. the general form and appearance of an individual or a group of plants or animals

2. the characteristics of a rock or series of rocks reflecting their appearance, composition, and conditions of formation

3. med the general facial expression of a patient, esp when typical of a specific disease or disorder See Hippocratic facies

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facies Scientific  

/ fā′shē-ēz′,-shēz /

facies plural

1. 1. A body of sedimentary rock distinguished from others by its lithology, geometry, sedimentary structures, proximity to other types of sedimentary rock, and fossil content, and recognized as characteristic of a particular depositional environment.

   2. For a metamorphic rock, the particular combination of pressure and temperature under which metamorphism occurred.

2. The general aspect or makeup of an ecological community, especially a local modification of a community characterized by a conspicuous or abundant species that is absent or less concentrated in other locations.

3. The appearance or expression of the face, especially when typical of a certain disorder or disease.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subfacies
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• facies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of facies

1350–1400, for an earlier sense; Middle English < Latin: form, figure, appearance, face, akin to facere to make

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

facies

Sedimentary facies consist of physical, chemical, and/or biological properties, including relative changes in these properties in adjacent beds of the same layer or geological age.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

The names of metamorphic facies on the pressure-temperature diagram reflect minerals and mineral assemblages that are stable at these pressures and temperatures and provide information about the metamorphic processes that have affected the rocks.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

This shift of the shoreline is reflected in the Tapeats Sandstone beach facies, Bright Angle Shale near-offshore mud facies, and Muav Limestone far-offshore facies.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

In metamorphic rocks, facies are groups of minerals called mineral assemblages.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

In parts of western Russia Old Red Sandstone fossils are found in beds intercalated with others containing marine fauna of the Devonian facies.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 3 "Destructors" to "Diameter" by Various