What does physiognomy mean?
Word: Physiognomy
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Physiognomy means the shape and features of a person's face, especially when people look at it for signs of what the person is like.
Word origin: From Greek, through Latin and French. The Greek word joined physis and gnomon.
How do you spell physiognomy?
Syllables: phys - i - og - no - my
Tricky part: The g in the middle is silent, so children who spell by ear write physionomy. It sits just before the n.
Watch out for: physionomy, physiognamy
Memory tip: Picture a garden gnome tucked into the middle of the word: its g is silent too, and it stands right before the n.
Physiognomy in a sentence
Example 1: The portrait artist studied the old fisherman's physiognomy before she picked up her brush.
Example 2: Nobody can judge a person's character from their physiognomy alone.
Example 3: Geographers sometimes speak of the physiognomy of a landscape, meaning its overall shape and look.
Fun Fact
Long ago, many people believed that a person's character could be read from the shape of the face. Scientists today do not accept that idea, but the word is still used for the face itself.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
physi_gnomy
a) o
b) e
c) a
d) i
Show answer
a) o. The joining vowel is an o, as in geography and biology.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
The opening part of physiognomy comes from the Greek word physis. What did physis mean?
a) water
b) light
c) speech
d) nature
Show answer
d) nature. The same Greek root sits at the start of the science that studies matter and energy.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. physiognomy 2. anatomy 3. biography a. the story of a person's life written by someone else b. the structure of a body and how its parts fit together c. the features that make one face look different from another
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. A biography tells a life story and anatomy deals with the body, which leaves the look of the face.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) philosophy
b) phenomenon
c) pamflet
d) physiognomy
Show answer
c) pamflet. Pamphlet spells its f sound with ph, just as the other three do.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A novelist describes a character's 'stern physiognomy'. What is she describing?
a) the look of his face
b) the sound of his voice
c) the clothes that he wears
d) the way that he walks
Show answer
a) the look of his face
2. Which word is closest in meaning to physiognomy?
a) conscience
b) composure
c) countenance
d) constitution
Show answer
c) countenance
