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

Grade describes the amount of metamorphism in a rock, and facies are a set of minerals that can help guide an observer to an interpretation of the metamorphic history of a rock.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

Longman, M. W. A process approach to recognizing facies of reef complexes.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

A simplified list of major metamorphic facies is given below.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

The only Mesozoic system which is represented in Brazil by marine beds is the Cretaceous, and the marine facies, is restricted to the coasts and the basin of the Amazon.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 "Bradford, William" to "Brequigny, Louis" by Various