95. Complexion

See also 370. SKIN .

achromasia

absence of pigmentation in the skin.

chlorosis

greensickness; a disease of girls in puberty, characterized by, among other symptoms, greenishness of the complexion.

erythrism

a redness of beard and hair and ruddiness of complexion. —erythristic, erythrismal , adj.

erythromania

a mania for blushing.

etiolation

paleness of color as a result of illness or exclusion from light. See also 319. PLANTS .

floridity

the condition of being florid or highly colored, especially reddish, used especially of the complexion. — florid , adj.

greensickness

chlorosis.

icterus

jaundice.

jaundice

a disease of the liver, characterized by, among other symptoms, yellowness of the skin. Also called icterus .

melanism

darkness or blackness of eyes, hair, or complexion.

rubescence

1. the state, condition, quality, or process of becoming or being red.

2. a blush.

3. the act of blushing. —rubescent , adj.

rubicundity

reddishness or ruddiness, especially of the complexion. —rubicund , adj.

telangiectasis

a chronic condition of dilatation of the capillaries and other blood vessels, as seen in the reddish faces of heavy drinkers and people whose faces are continually exposed to cold climates. —telangiectic , adj.

xanthochroid

a person with light-colored hair and fair complexion. —xanthochroid, xanthochroous , adj.

Personal Appearance (1934), a comedy by Lawrence Riley. [Henry Miller Theatre, 501 perf.] While touring to promote her latest film, Drifting Lady, the glamorous, susceptible screen star Carole Arden ( Gladys George) develops car trouble near Wilkes‐Barre. A handsome young gas‐station attendant, Chester Norton ( Philip Ober), helps fix the car and also puts her up for the night at the home of his fiancée's parents. Carole falls madly in love with Chester and when he mentions he has an invention to improve sound films she prepares to take him back to Hollywood with her. Fearing the consequences of her behavior, her press agent, Gene Tuttle ( Otto Hulette), scuttles the arrangement and leaves Chester in the arms of his local girlfriend. A basically minor comedy, producer Brock Pemberton ended up with a hit largely because of Grace George's comic playing.

com·plex·ion / kəmˈplekshən/ • n. 1. the natural color, texture, and appearance of a person's skin, esp. of the face: an attractive girl with a pale complexion. 2. the general aspect or character of something: Congress's new complexion became boldly apparent last summer. DERIVATIVES: com·plex·ioned adj. [often in comb.] they were both fair-complexioned. ORIGIN: Middle English: via Old French from Latin complexio(n-) ‘combination’ (in late Latin ‘physical constitution’), from complectere ‘embrace, comprise.’ The term originally denoted physical constitution or temperament determined by the combination of the four bodily humors, hence sense 1 (late 16th cent.) as a visible sign of this.

complexion combination of the four humours of the body, (hence) bodily constitution and (further) habit of mind XIV; natural texture of the skin XV. — (O)F. — L. complexiō, -ōn- combination, association, (late) bodily habit, f. complex-; see prec. and -ION.

complexion •ashen, fashion, passion, ration •abstraction, action, attraction, benefaction, compaction, contraction, counteraction, diffraction, enaction, exaction, extraction, faction, fraction, interaction, liquefaction, malefaction, petrifaction, proaction, protraction, putrefaction, redaction, retroaction, satisfaction, stupefaction, subtraction, traction, transaction, tumefaction, vitrifaction •expansion, mansion, scansion, stanchion •sanction •caption, contraption •harshen, Martian •cession, discretion, freshen, session •abjection, affection, circumspection, collection, complexion, confection, connection, convection, correction, defection, deflection, dejection, detection, direction, ejection, election, erection, genuflection, imperfection, infection, inflection, injection, inspection, insurrection, interconnection, interjection, intersection, introspection, lection, misdirection, objection, perfection, predilection, projection, protection, refection, reflection, rejection, resurrection, retrospection, section, selection, subjection, transection, vivisection •exemption, pre-emption, redemption •abstention, apprehension, ascension, attention, circumvention, comprehension, condescension, contention, contravention, convention, declension, detention, dimension, dissension, extension, gentian, hypertension, hypotension, intention, intervention, invention, mention, misapprehension, obtention, pension, prehension, prevention, recension, retention, subvention, supervention, suspension, tension •conception, contraception, deception, exception, inception, interception, misconception, perception, reception •Übermenschen • subsection •ablation, aeration, agnation, Alsatian, Amerasian, Asian, aviation, cetacean, citation, conation, creation, Croatian, crustacean, curation, Dalmatian, delation, dilation, donation, duration, elation, fixation, Galatian, gyration, Haitian, halation, Horatian, ideation, illation, lavation, legation, libation, location, lunation, mutation, natation, nation, negation, notation, nutation, oblation, oration, ovation, potation, relation, rogation, rotation, Sarmatian, sedation, Serbo-Croatian, station, taxation, Thracian, vacation, vexation, vocation, zonation •accretion, Capetian, completion, concretion, deletion, depletion, Diocletian, excretion, Grecian, Helvetian, repletion, Rhodesian, secretion, suppletion, Tahitian, venetian •academician, addition, aesthetician (US esthetician), ambition, audition, beautician, clinician, coition, cosmetician, diagnostician, dialectician, dietitian, Domitian, edition, electrician, emission, fission, fruition, Hermitian, ignition, linguistician, logician, magician, mathematician, Mauritian, mechanician, metaphysician, mission, monition, mortician, munition, musician, obstetrician, omission, optician, paediatrician (US pediatrician), patrician, petition, Phoenician, physician, politician, position, rhetorician, sedition, statistician, suspicion, tactician, technician, theoretician, Titian, tuition, volition •addiction, affliction, benediction, constriction, conviction, crucifixion, depiction, dereliction, diction, eviction, fiction, friction, infliction, interdiction, jurisdiction, malediction, restriction, transfixion, valediction •distinction, extinction, intinction •ascription, circumscription, conscription, decryption, description, Egyptian, encryption, inscription, misdescription, prescription, subscription, superscription, transcription •proscription •concoction, decoction •adoption, option •abortion, apportion, caution, contortion, distortion, extortion, portion, proportion, retortion, torsion •auction •absorption, sorption •commotion, devotion, emotion, groschen, Laotian, locomotion, lotion, motion, notion, Nova Scotian, ocean, potion, promotion •ablution, absolution, allocution, attribution, circumlocution, circumvolution, Confucian, constitution, contribution, convolution, counter-revolution, destitution, dilution, diminution, distribution, electrocution, elocution, evolution, execution, institution, interlocution, irresolution, Lilliputian, locution, perlocution, persecution, pollution, prosecution, prostitution, restitution, retribution, Rosicrucian, solution, substitution, volution •cushion • resumption • München •pincushion •Belorussian, Prussian, Russian •abduction, conduction, construction, deduction, destruction, eduction, effluxion, induction, instruction, introduction, misconstruction, obstruction, production, reduction, ruction, seduction, suction, underproduction •avulsion, compulsion, convulsion, emulsion, expulsion, impulsion, propulsion, repulsion, revulsion •assumption, consumption, gumption, presumption •luncheon, scuncheon, truncheon •compunction, conjunction, dysfunction, expunction, function, junction, malfunction, multifunction, unction •abruption, corruption, disruption, eruption, interruption •T-junction • liposuction •animadversion, aspersion, assertion, aversion, Cistercian, coercion, conversion, desertion, disconcertion, dispersion, diversion, emersion, excursion, exertion, extroversion, immersion, incursion, insertion, interspersion, introversion, Persian, perversion, submersion, subversion, tertian, version •excerption