phys·i·og·no·my

[fiz-ee-og-nuh-mee, -on-uh-mee]
noun, plural phys·i·og·no·mies.
1.
the face or countenance, especially when considered as an index to the character: a fierce physiognomy.
2.
Also called anthroposcopy. the art of determining character or personal characteristics from the form or features of the body, especially of the face.
3.
the outward appearance of anything, taken as offering some insight into its character: the physiognomy of a nation.

Origin:
1350–1400; earlier phisognomie, phisiognomie, late Middle English phisonomie < Medieval Latin physionomia, physonomia < Late Greek physiognōmía, syncopated variant of Greek physiognōmonía art of judging a person by his features (see physio-, gnomon, -y3); replacing Middle English fisenamie, fisnamie, fisnomie < Middle French fisonomie < Medieval Latin, as above; cf. phiz

phys·i·og·nom·ic [fiz-ee-og-nom-ik, ‐ee-uh-nom] , phys·i·og·nom·i·cal, phys·i·og·no·mon·ic [fiz-ee-og-nuh-mon-ik, ‐on-uh] , 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Physiognomy is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Collins
World English Dictionary
physiognomy (ˌfɪzɪˈɒnəmɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a person's features or characteristic expression considered as an indication of personality
2.  the art or practice of judging character from facial features
3.  the outward appearance of something, esp the physical characteristics of a geographical region
 
[C14: from Old French phisonomie, via Medieval Latin, from Late Greek phusiognōmia, erroneous for Greek phusiognōmonia, from phusis nature + gnōmōn judge]
 
physiognomic
 
adj
 
physiog'nomical
 
adj
 
physiog'nomically
 
adv
 
physi'ognomist
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

physiognomy
late 14c., "art of judging characters from facial features," from L.L. physiognomia, from Gk. physiognomia "the judging of a person's nature by his features," from physio-, comb. form of physis "nature" (see physic) + gnomon (gen. gnomonos) "judge, indicator."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

physiognomy phys·i·og·no·my (fĭz'ē-ŏg'nə-mē, -ŏn'ə-mē)
n.

  1. Facial features, especially when considered as an indicator of character or as a factor in diagnosis.

  2. Estimation of one's character and mental qualities by a study of the face and general bodily carriage.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

physiognomy

the study of the systematic correspondence of psychological characteristics to facial features or body structure. Because most efforts to specify such relationships have been discredited, physiognomy sometimes connotes pseudoscience or charlatanry. Physiognomy was regarded by those who cultivated it both as a mode of discriminating character by the outward appearance and as a method of divination from form and feature.

Learn more about physiognomy with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
The journalist who compared her facial physiognomy to that of a cigar store
  wooden Indian wasn't far off.
But the physiognomy alone was not enough to prove a match.
His face, not yet entirely craggy, revealed traces of the handsome physiognomy
  of his youth.
His physiognomy underwent a complete change.
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