countenance
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English contenaunce, countenaunce, from Anglo-Norman countenance and Old French contenance, from the present participle of contenir, or from Late Latin continentia, and therefore a doublet of continence.
Inflected forms:
form: countenances
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: countenaunce
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: countenances
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: countenancing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: countenanced
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: countenanced
pos: verb
tags: past
form: countenaunce
pos: verb
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: Appearance, especially the features and expression of the face.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: How Cownterfet Cowntenaunce of the new get / With Crafty Conueyauance dothe smater and flater, / And Cloked Collucyoun is brought in to clater / With Courtely Abusyoun; […]
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
It was as if the countenance were for a brief while allowed to wear the likeness of the peaceful and spiritual world whither the soul had departed.
But Richmond, his grandfather's darling, after one thoughtful glance cast under his lashes at that uncompromising countenance appeared to lose himself in his own reflections.
With such powerful selling-points, why is it, as recent editorial comment and correspondence in this journal has revealed, that "Condor" has yet to bring a warm glow to the countenance of the L.M.R.'s accountants?
gloss: Favour; support; encouragement.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: Thou hast made him[…]glad with thy countenance.
This is the Magiſtrate's peculiar Province, to give Countenance to Piety and Virtue, and to rebuke Vice and Prophaneneſs; […]
However, the poor old lady is in great distress; she and her grandaughter are coming up to London, and I wish to give them all possible countenance and assistance.
All feared and obeyed him; to use his roads we must have his countenance.
gloss: Superficial appearance; show; pretense.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
examples: The election being done, he made countenance of great discontent thereat.
gloss: Calm facial expression, composure, self-control.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: To tolerate, support, sanction, patronise or approve of something.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The cruel punishment was countenanced by the government, although it was not officially legal.
I won't countenance other than compunctious semblances for such a grievous blunder.
For the Defence was not actually countenanced by the Law, but only tolerated, and there were differences of opinion even on that point, whether the Law could be interpreted to admit such tolerances at all.
But even though the Pleven Plan was the brainchild of a French prime minister, public debate had revealed the extent of French reluctance to countenance German rearmament under any conditions.
[...] it is important to keep in mind that the medicine of the period countenanced a larger degreee [sic] of therapeutic modification than is allowed today.
There are obvious reasons to cherish and respect imperial units of measure. […] Very few of us would countenance the removal of pints from pubs, for example.
The new chancellor dismantled almost all of the platform that Truss’s leadership victory had been built on, including the majority of her tax cuts, and hinted a new windfall tax was in his sights – a move the PM had previously said she would not countenance.
Synonyms: boat
complexion
countenance
chevy chase
dial
ecaf
eek
George Best
face
favor
kisser
look
map
mug
mush
pan
physiognomy
phiz
phizog
punim
visage
Related words: demeanor
body language
figure
mask
beautiful
handsome
homely
plain
pretty
ugly
two-faced
Derived words: countenancer
divine countenance
in countenance
keep one's countenance
out of countenance
uncountenanceable
Translations: