countenance

English

WOTD – 7 May 2009

Alternative forms

• countenaunce (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman countenance, from Old French, from the present participle of contenir, or from Late Latin continentia, and therefore a doublet of continence.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈkaʊn.tɪ.nəns/, /ˈkaʊn.tən.əns/
• (US) IPA^(key): [kʲʰæũ̯.ʔɪ̆.nəns]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

countenance (countable and uncountable, plural countenances)

1. Appearance, especially the features and expression of the face.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981:

     , Genesis 4:5

     But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

   • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:

     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.

2. Favour; support; encouragement.
   • Bible, Psalms xxi. 6

     Thou hast made him […] glad with thy countenance.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Francis Atterbury

     This is the magistrate's peculiar province, to give countenance to piety and virtue, and to rebuke vice.

3. (obsolete) Superficial appearance; show; pretense.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Roger Ascham

     The election being done, he made countenance of great discontent thereat.

4. Calm facial expression, composure, self-control.

Synonyms

• see also Thesaurus:countenance

Derived terms

• in countenance
• keep one's countenance
• out of countenance
• uncountenanceable

 

Related terms

► English terms derived from the PIE root *ten-‎ (0 c, 45 e)

Translations

face

• Arabic: مَلَامِح‎ m pl (malāmiḥ)
• Armenian: դեմք (hy) (demkʿ), դեմքի արտահայտություն (demkʿi artahaytutʿyun)
• Bulgarian: изражение на лицето (izraženie na liceto)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 面容 (zh)

• Czech: výraz (cs) m
• Danish: ansigt (da) n, mine (da) c
• Dutch: gelaatsuitdrukking (nl), verschijning (nl)
• Finnish: ilme (fi), kasvonpiirteet
• French: visage (fr) m
• Georgian: სახის გამომეტყველება (saxis gamomeṭq̇veleba)
• German: Antlitz (de) n, Gesichtsausdruck (de) m, Miene (de) f
• Greek: όψη (el) f (ópsi), μορφή (el) f (morfí), παρουσιαστικό (el) n (parousiastikó), φυσιογνωμία (el) f (fysiognomía)

• Haitian Creole: figi
• Icelandic: andlit (is) n
• Italian: sembianza (it) f, apparenza (it) f, espressione (it) f
• Macedonian: лик m (lik)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: mine (no) m or f

• Polish: oblicze (pl) n, wyraz twarzy (pl) m, mina (pl) f
• Portuguese: aparência (pt) f, semblante (pt) m
• Russian: выраже́ние лица (ru) n (vyražénije lica)
• Scottish Gaelic: aogas m
• Serbo-Croatian: лик, lik
• Spanish: semblante (es) m, apariencia (es) f, expresión (es) f, rostro (es) m
• Turkish: çehre (tr), yüz (tr)

favour; support; encouragement

• German: Unterstützung (de) f
• Spanish: apoyo (es) m

• Turkish: destekleme (tr)

superficial appearance; show; pretense

• Spanish: semblante (es) m, expresión (es) f

calm facial expression

• German: Fassung (de) f, Haltung (de) f, Ruhe (de), Beherrschtheit f

• Turkish: yüz ifadesi

Verb

countenance (third-person singular simple present countenances, present participle countenancing, simple past and past participle countenanced)

1. (transitive) To tolerate, support, sanction, patronise or approve of something.

   The cruel punishment was countenanced by the government, although it was not officially legal.

   • 1925, Franz Kafka, The Trial, Vintage Books (London), pg. 99:

     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.

Synonyms

• (tolerate, support): approve, sanction, support, tolerate

Translations

tolerate, support, sanction

• Armenian: աջակցել (hy) (aǰakcʿel), սատարել (hy) (satarel), քաջալերել (hy) (kʿaǰalerel), համակրել (hy) (hamakrel)
• Bulgarian: подкрепям (bg) (podkrepjam), насърчавам (bg) (nasǎrčavam)
• Czech: podporovat (cs)
• Danish: billige, støtte, tolerere
• Dutch: gedogen (nl), dulden (nl)
• Finnish: sallia (fi)

• German: billigen (de), dulden (de)
• Greek: υποστηρίζω (el) (ypostirízo), ενθαρρύνω (el) (entharrýno)
• Icelandic: láta viðgangast
• Portuguese: tolerar (pt)
• Russian: терпеть, одобрять, разрешать; давать санкцию (на совершение чего-л.)
• Spanish: admitir (es), permitir (es), tolerar (es); aprobar (es), sancionar (es); apoyar (es), favorecer (es), patrocinar (es)

References

• countenance in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• countenance in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

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Old French

Alternative forms

• contenance
• contennaunce
• continance

Etymology

From contenant, the present participle of contenir, with the suffix -ance, corresponding to Late Latin continentia. See also continence.

Noun

countenance f (oblique plural countenances, nominative singular countenance, nominative plural countenances)

1. (Anglo-Norman) appearance; countenance
   • e moustre par contenance q'il ad honte de ceo q'il ad fet

     And he showed by his appearance that he was ashamed of what he had done.

Related terms

• contenant
• contenir

Descendants

• English: countenance
• French: contenance

References

• contenance on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub