Etymology
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physiognomy (n.)

late 14c., phisonomie, "art of judging characters from facial features," from Old French fisonomie, phizonomie and directly from Medieval Latin physonomia, from Late Latin physiognomia, from Greek physiognōmia "the judging of a person's nature by his features," from physio- (see physio-) + gnōmōn (genitive gnōmōnos) "a judge, interpreter, indicator" (from PIE root *gno- "to know"). The meaning "face, countenance, the human face and its expressions" is from c. 1400. Related: Physiognomical.

Entries linking to physiognomy

physio- 

word-forming element meaning "nature, natural, physical," from Greek physios "nature" (from PIE root *bheue- "to be, exist, grow").

*gno- 

*gnō-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to know."

It forms all or part of: acknowledge; acquaint; agnostic; anagnorisis; astrognosy; can (v.1) "have power to, be able;" cognition; cognizance; con (n.2) "study;" connoisseur; could; couth; cunning; diagnosis; ennoble; gnome; (n.2) "short, pithy statement of general truth;" gnomic; gnomon; gnosis; gnostic; Gnostic; ignoble; ignorant; ignore; incognito; ken (n.1) "cognizance, intellectual view;" kenning; kith; know; knowledge; narrate; narration; nobility; noble; notice; notify; notion; notorious; physiognomy; prognosis; quaint; recognize; reconnaissance; reconnoiter; uncouth; Zend.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit jna- "know;" Avestan zainti- "knowledge," Old Persian xšnasatiy "he shall know;" Old Church Slavonic znati "recognizes," Russian znat "to know;" Latin gnoscere "get to know," nobilis "known, famous, noble;" Greek gignōskein "to know," gnōtos "known," gnōsis "knowledge, inquiry;" Old Irish gnath "known;" German kennen "to know," Gothic kannjan "to make known."

phiz (n.)

"face, countenance, facial expression," 1680s, a jocular abbreviation of physiognomy.

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Definitions of physiognomy

physiognomy (n.)
the human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face' and `phiz' is British);
Synonyms: countenance / phiz / visage / kisser / smiler / mug
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near physiognomy

physico-

physicochemical

physicological

physics

physio-

physiognomy

physiological

physiology

physiotherapy

physique

-phyte

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