Externals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The observable attributes or characteristics of an object or individual that are apparent to others
2. The visible traits or features that represent the outward part of a person, item, or circumstance
3. The outward aspects or visible traits that can be seen on a person, object, or situation

Etymology: "Externals" is the plural of "external," a noun used mainly in the plural for outward appearances, possessions, or conditions as opposed to inner character. The adjective traces back to Medieval Latin "externus," meaning outward or on the outside, which was itself built from the Latin "exter" or "exterus," meaning on the outside. English took the word in the Late Middle Ages, and it arrived with a plain spatial sense: whatever lies beyond a boundary or surface. The Latin base "exter" carries a comparative flavour. Its formation parallels other Latin pairs where a word for a position forms a comparative, such as "inter" (between) and "interior." From this, "external" came to contrast with "internal," so that the outside of a thing and its inside became a matched pair in English. The plural noun "externals" grew out of that contrast, referring to the things a person can see or measure before reaching what lies beneath.

Synonyms: outward appearances, outsides

Antonyms: internals