Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Biology The general aspect or outward appearance, as of a given growth of flora.
  • noun Medicine The appearance or expression of the face, especially when typical of a certain disorder or disease.
  • noun Geology A rock or stratified body distinguished from others by its appearance or composition.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The face; specifically, in anatomy, the facial part of the skull or of the head.
  • noun Features, visage, countenance, or physiognomy.
  • noun Hence The whole outside figure; the general configuration.
  • noun Hence The general aspect or appearance of anything; superficial characteristics or features; specifically, the general aspect which an organism presents at the first view, before the details have been considered separately: as, the facies of a country; the facies of a fauna.
  • noun Specifically — In geology, the entirety of the lithologic and paleontologic characteristics resulting from the external conditions which determine the existence of any particular fauna or flora for a given region. These characteristics are defined by physical conditions, such as climate, altitude, or bathymetry, and the geological or chemical nature of the medium.
  • noun In phytogeography, the physiognomy or characteristic appearance of a vegetation, depending upon the one or several species which predominate in it; or, the characteristic growth itself. A plant formation has one facies when there is one controlling species, and several when there are several such. See character-plant.
  • noun In petrography, the different modifications of one mass of igneous rocks, distinguished by their texture, or by their mineral or chemical composition: as, granitic and porphyritic facies of a dike: a gabbro facies of a diorite mass.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The anterior part of the head; the face.
  • noun (Biol.) The general aspect or habit of a species, or group of species, esp. with reference to its adaptation to its environment.
  • noun (Zoöl.) The face of a bird, or the front of the head, excluding the bill.
  • noun (Med.) See Hippocratic.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun plurale tantum Appearance.
  • noun plurale tantum, medicine Facial features, like an expression or complexion, typical for patients having certain diseases or conditions (e.g. costive facies).
  • noun geology A body of rock with specified characteristics reflecting the way it was formed.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin faciēs; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]

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Examples

  • 1994 Dr. Gianotti from Italy suggests that Cayler Cardiofacial syndrome, also known as asymmetric crying facies, is due to a 22q11. 2 deletion.

    DiGeorge, cleft palate, velopharyngeal incompetence 2010

  • At this time the condition of the patient was as follows: The face presented the appearance known as facies hippocratica: the eyeballs were prominent, the corneæ glassy, the pupils widely dilated, not acting to light, and there was no reflex action of the conjunctivæ; the lips were livid, the tongue tumefied, but pallid, the skin ashy pale, the cutaneous tissues apparently devoid of elasticity.

    Scientific American Supplement, No. 470, January 3, 1885 Various

  • It is well known that this correspondence is recognized in the general 'facies' of the flora and fauna, dependent on generic identities.

    COSMOS: A Sketch of the Physical Description of the Universe, Vol. 1 Alexander von Humboldt 1814

  • Controls on our "facies"/appearance [4], various provocations, persecutions of all kinds are multiplying, while police brutality, sometimes extreme, are rarely sanctioned by a justice which operates at two speeds.

    Indybay newswire Mouvement des Indigènes de la République/ Mov 2010

  • [4] Amongst the indigenized In France, "facies" signifies controls on one's appearance, including being harassed by police on the basis of the "crime" of making a "bad face" or giving colonial authorities a "dirty look".

    Indybay newswire Mouvement des Indigènes de la République/ Mov 2010

  • [4] Amongst the indigenized In France, "facies" signifies controls on one's appearance, including being harassed by police on the basis of the "crime" of making a "bad face" or giving colonial authorities a "dirty look".

    Indybay newswire Mouvement des Indigènes de la République/ Mov 2010

  • She has long ago taken on that mixture of compliance and resignation that is the facies of chronic illness.

    In the Valley of the Shadow James L. Kugel 2011

  • She has long ago taken on that mixture of compliance and resignation that is the facies of chronic illness.

    In the Valley of the Shadow James L. Kugel 2011

  • She has long ago taken on that mixture of compliance and resignation that is the facies of chronic illness.

    In the Valley of the Shadow James L. Kugel 2011

  • She has long ago taken on that mixture of compliance and resignation that is the facies of chronic illness.

    In the Valley of the Shadow James L. Kugel 2011

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