/ ˈkaʊntənəns; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
( formal or literary ) a person's face or their expression
■ verb
( formal ) to support sth or agree to sth happening
SYN consent to :
[ vn ]
The committee refused to countenance his proposals.
[also v -ing , vn -ing ]
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French contenance bearing, behaviour, from contenir , from Latin continere , from con- altogether + tenere to hold. The early sense was bearing, demeanour , also facial expression , hence the face .