appearance, face, features; support, encouragement
tolerate, permit; approve, support
Search Dictionary
Countenance Definition from Arts & Humanities Dictionaries & Glossaries
Countenance Definition from Language, Idioms & Slang Dictionaries & Glossaries
(v. t.)
To make a show of; to pretend.
To make a show of; to pretend.
(v. t.)
To encourage; to favor; to approve; to aid; to abet.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), edited by Noah Porter. AboutTo encourage; to favor; to approve; to aid; to abet.
countenance
\coun"te*nance\ (koun"t?-nans), v. t. [imp. & p. p. countenanced (-nanst); p. pr. & vb. n. countenancing.]
1. to encourage; to favor; to approve; to aid; to abet. this conceit, though countenanced by learned men, is not made out either by experience or reason. t. browne. error supports custom, custom countenances error.
2. to make a show of; to pretend. [obs.] which to these ladies love did countenance.
countenance
n
1. the appearance conveyed by a person's face; "a pleasant countenance"; "a stern visage" [syn: visage]
2. formal and explicit approval [syn: sanction, endorsement, warrant, imprimatur]
3. the human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face'; `phiz' is british) [syn: physiognomy, phiz, visage, kisser, smiler, mug]
v : give permission; "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" [syn: permit, allow, let]
[ant: forbid, forbid]
similar words(4)
to keep the countenance
out of countenance
in countenance
the light of the countenance
Origin
From Shakespeare's Hamlet.
© 2004 The Phrase Finder. Take a look at Phrase Finder’s sister site, the Phrases Thesaurus, a subscription service for professional writers & language lovers.From Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Noun
1. the appearance conveyed by a person's face; "a pleasant countenance"; "a stern visage"
(synonym) visage
(hypernym) appearance, visual aspect
(hyponym) expression, look, aspect, facial expression, face
2. formal and explicit approval; "a Democrat usually gets the union's endorsement"
(synonym) sanction, endorsement, indorsement, warrant, imprimatur
(hypernym) approval, commendation
(hyponym) O.K., OK, okay, okey, okeh
(derivation) permit, allow, let
3. the human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face' and `phiz' is British)
(synonym) physiognomy, phiz, visage, kisser, smiler, mug
(hypernym) face, human face
(hyponym) pudding face, pudding-face
(part-holonym) human head
(classification) colloquialism
(classification) United Kingdom, UK, Great Britain, GB, Britain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Verb
1. consent to, give permission; "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"
(synonym) permit, allow, let
(hypernym) accept, consent, go for
(hyponym) digest, endure, stick out, stomach, bear, stand, tolerate, support, brook, abide, suffer, put up
(verb-group) allow, grant
(derivation) sanction, endorsement, indorsement, warrant, imprimatur
Countenance Definition from Social Science Dictionaries & Glossaries
To dream of a beautiful and ingenuous countenance, you may safely look for some pleasure to fall to your lot in the near future; but to behold an ugly and scowling visage, portends unfavorable transactions.
Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted, or "What's in a dream": a scientific and practical exposition; By Gustavus Hindman, 1910. For the open domain e-text see: Guttenberg ProjectCountenance Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries
Countenance may refer to:
- Human physical appearance
- Countenance divine, or divine countenance, a reference to the literal or metaphorical face of God
- Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, called Operation Countenance, the 1941 invasion of Iran by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union
| See more at Wikipedia.org... |
