Physiognomize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To evaluate and deduce an individual's character and personality by scrutinizing their facial attributes and expressions
2. To interpret the psychological and moral qualities of a person through the analysis of their facial features and expressions
3. To assess and infer a person's character traits and emotions by examining their facial characteristics and expressions

Etymology: "Physiognomize" is a straightforward formation: it combines "physiognomy," the study of judging character from facial features, with the verb-forming suffix "-ize," which turns a noun into a verb meaning "to treat in a certain way" or "to make into." To physiognomize is therefore to read someone's character from their face. The base noun carries the older and more interesting history. "Physiognomy" descends from Greek "physiognomonia," built from "physis" (nature, appearance) and "gnomon" (one who judges or knows), so the root idea is reading the outward nature of a person. The notion that a face reveals a hidden disposition was once treated as a serious science, and the word kept that sense long after it became largely a matter of superstition. The verb is much rarer than the noun, and its meaning follows directly from it: it describes the act of forming a judgment about someone's personality from the look of their features, rather than from anything they say or do.

Synonyms: analyze, interpret, examine

Antonyms: ignore