/fay"shee eez', -sheez/ , n. , pl. facies .
1. general appearance, as of an animal or vegetable group.
2. Geol. the appearance and characteristics of a sedimentary deposit, esp. as they reflect the conditions and environment of deposition and serve to distinguish the deposit from contiguous deposits. Cf. metamorphic facies .
3. Med. a facial expression characteristic of a disease or pathological condition.
4. Archaeol. a distinctive phase of a prehistoric cultural tradition.
[ 1350-1400, for an earlier sense; ME facere to make ]