Meaning of countenance in English

Table of contents

Verb
countenance
Definitions
1. consent to, give permission
Examples
- « She permitted her son to visit her estranged husband »
- « I won't let the police search her basement »
- « I cannot allow you to see your exam »
Antonyms
Derived terms
Noun
countenance
Etymology
Middle English: from Old French contenance‘bearing, behavior’, from contenir (see contain). The early sense was ‘bearing, demeanor’, also ‘facial expression’, hence ‘the face’
Definitions
1. the appearance conveyed by a person's face
Examples
- « a pleasant countenance »
- « a stern visage »
2. formal and explicit approval
Examples
- « a Democrat usually gets the union's endorsement »
Derived terms
3. the human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face' and `phiz' is British)
Derived terms
- smile

Famous quotes

« There are no better cosmetics than a severe temperance and purity, modesty and humility, a gracious temper and calmness of spirit and there is no true beauty without the signatures of these graces in the very countenance. »
Arthur Helps
« Your smile will give you a positive countenance that will make people feel comfortable around you. »
Les Brown
« I feel there's a power in theatre, but it's an indirect power. It's like the relationship of the sleeper to the unconscious. You discover things you can't afford to countenance in waking life. You can forget them, remember them a day later or not have any idea what they are about. »
Tony Kushner
« The battle for the individual rights of women is one of long standing and none of us should countenance anything which undermines it. »
Eleanor Roosevelt
« And these two elements are at odds with one another because Freud is utterly adversary to almost all the ways of structuring the human experience found in Western religions. No Western religion can countenance Freud's view of man. »
Chaim Potok