lineament

/ˈlɪn(i)əmənt/

Other forms: lineaments

A lineament is a fancy, literary word that means "a part of a person's face," like his eyes, ears, or nose.

In his poem "Manfred", Lord Byron wrote, "She was like me in lineaments — her eyes / Her hair, her features, all..." He was basically saying that a particular woman's face looked a lot like his own face, when he examined each part of it — each lineament — separately. The word comes from the Latin word linea, meaning "line." Lineaments can also refer to someone's distinctive features, not just their looks.

Definitions of lineament

1. noun

   the characteristic parts of a person's face: eyes and nose and mouth and chin
   “his lineaments were very regular”

   synonyms: feature

   types:

   chin, mentum

   the protruding part of the lower jaw

   brow, forehead

   the part of the face above the eyes

   temple

   the flat area on either side of the forehead

   cheek

   either side of the face below the eyes

   jowl

   a fullness and looseness of the flesh of the lower cheek and jaw (characteristic of aging)

   jaw

   the bones of the skull that frame the mouth and serve to open it; the bones that hold the teeth

   buccula, double chin

   a fold of fatty tissue under the chin

   type of:

   body part

   any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity
2. noun

   a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something
   synonyms: character, quality

   types:

   texture

   the essential quality of something

   type of:

   attribute, dimension, property

   a construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished