Make Your Point > Archived Issues > VISAGE
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pronounce
VISAGE:
Say it "VIZZ idge."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
The word we're checking out today, visage, comes from the Latin videre, "to see."
So, it's close cousins with words like video, vision, revise, and evidence--as well as déjà vu, literally "already seen," and its opposite, j_____ vu, literally "never seen."
Could you recall that last one? More fully, it means "the weird feeling that you're seeing or experiencing something for the first time, even though you're not."
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
You can trace the word "visage" back to the Latin visus, meaning "a look, or a vision." (And visus traces further back to videre, "to see.")
"Visage" is basically a formal, kind of old-fashioned word meaning "somebody's face." A visage can be a person's face, or the expression on a person's face.
A little more abstractly, a visage can also be the emotion on someone's face.
And even more abstractly, a visage can be an outward appearance: the way something looks, or the way it seems.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind: "her visage," "his visage," "their joyful visages."
Other common forms:
The plural is "visages."
"Envisage," the verb, can simply mean "envision, picture, imagine," but more literally it can mean "to face something: to look something in the face." (Its other forms are "envisaged" and "envisaging.")
how to use it:
When you need to strike a serious, sophisticated tone, you might pick the word "visage" instead of "face," "facial expression," "outward appearance," or "impression."
We most often talk about someone's visage, or the visage of someone: "The painting shows his thoughtful visage;" "The coin bears the visage of Sacagawea."
examples:
"How to Use Zoom Like a Theater or Film Professional... On most devices, there's a green light right next to the lens, which is a good place to gaze... Try not to stare at the image of your visage projected back at you."
— Alex Hawgood, New York Times, 27 May 2020
"The curbside view presents a two-story facade, modest compared with the backyard's visage: a towering three-story stack with an infinity pool, terrace and gardens at its base."
— R. Daniel Foster, Los Angeles Times, 15 March 2020
has this page helped you understand "visage"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "visage" without saying "someone's facial features" or "the look on somebody's face."
try it out:
When we pick the word "visage" instead of "face," often it's because we're talking about facial features, especially interesting ones: large eyes, for example, or high cheekbones.
Talk about someone whose visage seems especially interesting to you.
Maybe you'll talk about the visage of Salvador Dali or Barbra Streisand:
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for October is "Silly Smashings!"
In each issue this month, I'll give you the definition of a word I've concocted by smashing together two words we've studied before.
See if you can come up with the same silly smashing that I did.
For example, I'll say, "This noun means 'an extremely outdated, old-fashioned, ill-considered assumption that there are only two ways of dealing with a certain problem.'" And you'll say, "That's a troglodichotomy." (Which is a silly smashing of troglodyte and dichotomy.)
I'll list the answer at the bottom of each issue. Maybe your answer will match mine. Or maybe yours will be even better; if so, be sure to share it with me!
Try this one today:
This verb means "to laugh so hard at someone that they permanently hate you for it, even though they liked you before."
review this word:
A. SMALL SHARDS.
B. HIDDEN EMOTIONS.
C. BRIEF PERIODS OF TIME.
2. The Seattle Times wrote, "The couple announced the news on social media early Thursday with photos of Ciara pregnant and striking a pose... [with Wilson's] _____ visage in the foreground."
A. bearded
B. Cadillac
C. musical
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
The word we're checking out today, visage, comes from the Latin videre, "to see."
You can trace the word "visage" back to the Latin visus, meaning "a look, or a vision." (And visus traces further back to videre, "to see.")
Part of speech:
When you need to strike a serious, sophisticated tone, you might pick the word "visage" instead of "face," "facial expression," "outward appearance," or "impression."
"How to Use Zoom Like a Theater or Film Professional... On most devices, there's a green light right next to the lens, which is a good place to gaze... Try not to stare at the image of your visage projected back at you."
Explain the meaning of "visage" without saying "someone's facial features" or "the look on somebody's face."
When we pick the word "visage" instead of "face," often it's because we're talking about facial features, especially interesting ones: large eyes, for example, or high cheekbones.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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