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Visage comes from a Latin root meaning what?

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visage

American  

[viz-ij] / ˈvɪz ɪdʒ /

noun

• visages
  plural

1. 

   the face, usually with reference to shape, features, expression, etc.; countenance.

2. aspect; appearance.

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visage British  

/ ˈvɪzɪdʒ /

noun

1. face or countenance

2. appearance; aspect

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Synonym Usage

See face.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• visaged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• visages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of visage

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, equivalent to vis “face” (from Latin vīsus “sight, appearance” ( Vulgar Latin: “face”), noun use of masculine past participle of vidēre “to see”) + -age -age. See wit ² ( def. )

Explanation

Visage is a literary term for referring to someone's face or facial features. You may notice that some face creams use the word visage to try to sound fancier than they are. A famous use of visage is in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Brutus says: "O conspiracy/Shamest thou to show thy dangerous brow by night,/When evils are most free? O, then by day/Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough/To mask thy monstrous visage?" Now there's a quote that will help you remember the meaning of visage, and even give you nightmares.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

visage visages

During the album’s rollout, the pop star’s visage was perfected with the help of some uncanny AI smoothing, while her accompanying “Confessions II” short film featured a team of AI artists in the credits.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

But just months after his capture in a stunning raid by US special forces, the interim government is gradually erasing Maduro's visage from public life.

From Barron's ● May 16, 2026

So when a slideshow of Kelly’s hairless visage appeared on the screen, Dokoupil fell bracingly silent.

From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2026

Lincoln’s visage took over the front of the coin in 1909 as the country celebrated the 100th anniversary of his birth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025

Lord Cheldthorpe strolled around before us so that he could view our faces and judge the visage of punishment.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

But in an administration that privileges snarling visages, Witkoff is nearly universally described as “kind,” or “nice,” a quality he has used to good diplomatic effect.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

Guests who stop to see the visages of famous guests at the hotel’s Talking Heads Gallery will also find a new portrait of Charles by David Downton, known for his fashion illustrations.

From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2023

One scene demanded tortillas emblazoned with the guests’ visages; at what Tobman calls the eleventh hour, they found a laser that could etch the tortillas without marring the food.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2022

The Michigan-based Siegers Seed Co. sells so-called "Super Freak" pumpkins which are renowned for their various bump-covered visages.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2022

The riders, too, were like nothing she had ever seen before: ethereal men and women with pale visages, their cheekbones so sharply sculpted that she could see their skulls through translucent skin.

From "Ash" by Malinda Lo

Related Words

• countenance