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faci(o)-

The face.

Latin facies, face, appearance.

A few specialist medical terms contain this form, most commonly facioscapulohumeral, referring to the face, shoulder blade (the scapula) and upper arm (whose bone is the humerus), as in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), the term for an type of muscular dystrophy that mainly affects this area; the adjective faciolingual refers to the face and tongue considered together; facioplegia is paralysis of the face. The Latin original facies is in English a medical term for a facial expression typical of a disease or condition; it is also a geological term for the appearance or character of a rock formation, and a general word for the appearance or composition of something.

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