Etymologically
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facial

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:34. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈfeɪ.ʃəl/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French facial or directly Medieval Latin facialis (“of the face”),[2][3][4] from facies (“form, shape, face”) (see face).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In theology, facial sight, face to face, open (Latin visio facialis): 1609 in the OED, about 1600 in Etymonline.[5][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Of or pertaining to the face is from 1786 in Etymonline, about 1818 in MWU and the OED, the early 19th century in NODE.[2][3][5][4] The facial angle of anthropology is from 1822,[5] and facial tissue from 1930.[5] The noun, a beauty treatment for the face, is American English from 1914.[2][3] Middle English had faciale, a face-cloth for a corpse, in the early 14th century.[2]

Timeline

  • early 14th century – faciale, a face-cloth.[2]
  • 1609 – face to face.[5]
  • 1818 – of the face.[5]
  • 1914 – a beauty treatment.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of or relating to the face.

Noun

  1. A beauty treatment for the face, with cleansing, massage and creams.

Word family

  • facially

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press