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face (fās) Share: Tweet n. 1. a. The surface of the front of the head from the top of the forehead to the base of the chin and from ear to ear. b. A person: We saw many new faces on the first day of classes. 2. A person's countenance: a happy face. 3. A contorted facial expression; a grimace: made a face at the prospect of eating lemons. 4. a. A countenance of a certain complexion or form. Used in combination: babyface; frogface. b. A person having such a countenance. Used in combination: paleface. 5. a. Facial makeup: put one's face on. b. Facial makeup of a certain color, usually worn for the purpose of impersonating or mocking people of a particular racial or ethnic group. Used in combination: applied blackface. c. Assumed characteristics, such as clothing or behavior, intended to impersonate or mock people of a particular racial or ethnic group. Used in combination: dressing up in yellowface. 6. Outward appearance: the modern face of the city. 7. a. Value or standing in the eyes of others; prestige: did their best to save face after they were shown to be wrong; did not want to lose face by being unable to live up to his reputation. b. Self-assurance; confidence: The team managed to maintain a firm face even in times of great adversity. 8. Effrontery; impudence: had the face to question my judgment. 9. The most significant or prominent surface of an object, especially: a. The surface presented to view; the front. b. A façade. c. Outer surface: the face of the earth. d. A marked side: the face of a clock; the face of a playing card. e. The right side, as of fabric. f. An exposed, often precipitous surface of rock. 10. A planar surface of a geometric solid. 11. Any of the surfaces of a rock or crystal. 12. The end, as of a mine or tunnel, at which work is advancing. 13. The appearance and geologic surface features of an area of land; topography. 14. Printing a. A typeface or range of typefaces. b. The raised printing surface of a piece of type. v. faced, fac·ing, fac·es v.tr. 1. To occupy a position with the face toward: stood and faced the audience. 2. To front on: a window that faces the south. 3. a. To meet or confront with self-assurance: How can I face your parents when they know that I've let them down? b. To acknowledge and accept or deal with: had to face the facts; must be willing to face our problems. See Synonyms at defy. 4. a. To be certain to encounter; have in store: An unskilled youth faces a difficult life. b. To bring or to be brought face to face with: "The prospect of military conflict ... faced us with nightmarish choices" (Henry A. Kissinger). 5. To cause (troops) to change direction by giving a command. 6. Games To turn (a playing card) so that the face is up. 7. To furnish with a surface or cover of a different material: bronze that is faced with gold foil. 8. To line or trim the edge of, especially with contrasting material: face a hem with lace. 9. To treat the surface of so as to smooth. v.intr. 1. To be turned or placed with the front toward a specified direction. 2. To turn the face in a specified direction. Phrasal Verbs: face down To attain mastery over or overcome by confronting in a resolute, determined manner: face down an opponent in a debate; faced the enemy down. face off 1. Sports To stand opposite an opponent in ice hockey, lacrosse, and other games and attempt to gain control of a puck or ball released by an official at the start of play. 2. To compete: Two longtime opponents faced off in a bitter election. face up To confront an unpleasant situation with resolution and assurance: had to face up or get out; finally faced up to the problem. Idioms: face the music To accept the unpleasant consequences, especially of one's own actions. in the face/teeth of In opposition to or defiance of. on the face of it From appearances alone; apparently: On the face of it, the problem seems minor. show (one's) face To make an appearance: Don't show your face on my property again. to (one's) face In the view or hearing of: insulted me to my face. [Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *facia, from Latin faciēs; see dhē- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] facea·ble adj.

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# Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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