Outfacing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Facing outward or away from a central point or direction; positioning oneself or an object so that the front is directed externally; oriented toward the exterior or outside environment
2. Directed toward the outside from a particular reference point; arranged so the main surface is turned outward; presenting oneself or something with the front facing away from the interior
3. Positioned with the front part facing away from a center or core; arranged so as to confront or look outward; having a outward-facing orientation or aspect

Etymology: "Outfacing" is the present participle of "outface", a verb formed in English from the prefix "out-" and the noun "face". The verb "outface" means to confront or stare down an opponent, to defeat someone by boldness of look or manner, and "outfacing" carries that sense of directing the front of something toward the exterior. The "out-" element here means "beyond" or "to a greater degree than", as in "outrun" or "outdo", so the verb naturally came to mean facing down someone by facing them more boldly. The second element traces a long road. "Face" descends from Latin "facies", meaning appearance, form or countenance, which came from the Latin verb "facere", to make or do. Through Late Latin "facia" and Old French "face", the word reached Middle English, where it kept its older sense of a visible appearance or shape before settling on the human countenance. Because the Latin root meant something made or shaped, a face was once understood as the shape a thing presented to the world.

Synonyms: facing outward, exposing