English

Noun

facies ‎(uncountable)

1. (plural only) Appearance.
   • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, page 6

     The Chilean Amphijubula Schust. (Schuster, 1970a) which has the facies of a small Frullania and agrees with Frullania in leaf insertion and branching, has a nontiered seta with 16 epidermal cell rows surrounding 4 inner rows.

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

Derived terms

• biofacies
• lithofacies
• masked facies

Latin

Etymology

Proposed roots are:

• Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‎(“to shine”). Cognate with facētus, fax, focus, Ancient Greek φαίνω ‎(phaínō, “to shine”).
• Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‎(“to say”).
• Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‎(“to do”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈfa.ki.eːs/

Noun

faciēs f ‎(genitive faciēī); fifth declension

1. shape, figure, outward appearance
2. face, countenance, visage
   • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Genesis.1.2

     terra autem erat inanis et vacua et tenebrae super faciem abyssi et spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas

     And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.

Inflection

Fifth declension.

Old Genitive: facies

Gellius: vocabulum facies hoc modo declinatur: "haec facies, huius facies", quod nunc propter rationem grammaticam "faciei" dicitur

Derived terms

• bonifaciēs
• superficiēs

Descendants

Verb

faciēs

1. second-person singular future active indicative of faciō

References

• facies in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• facies in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• FACIES in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “facies”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.