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Excerpt ​

Excerpt from The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section F, G and H, by Project Gutenberg

Face is used either adjectively or as part of a compound; as, face
guard or face-guard; face cloth; face plan or face-plan; face hammer.

Face ague (Med.), a form of neuralgia, characterized by acute
lancinating pains returning at intervals, and by twinges in certain
parts of the face, producing convulsive twitches in the corresponding
muscles; -- called also tic douloureux. -- Face card, one of a pack of
playing cards on which a human face is represented; the king, queen, or
jack. -- Face cloth, a cloth laid over the face of a corpse. -- Face
guard, a mask with windows for the eyes, worn by workman exposed to
great heat, or to flying particles of metal, stone, etc., as in glass
works, foundries, etc. -- Face hammer, a hammer having a flat face. --
Face joint (Arch.), a joint in the face of a wall or other structure.
-- Face mite (Zoˆll.), a small, elongated mite (Demdex folliculorum),
parasitic in the hair follicles of the face. -- Face mold, the templet
or pattern by which carpenters, ect., outline the forms which are to be
cut out from boards, sheet metal, ect. -- Face plate. (a) (Turning) A
plate attached to the spindle of a lathe, to which the work to be
turned may be attached. (b) A covering plate for an object, to receive
wear or shock. (c) A true plane for testing a dressed surface. Knight.
-- Face wheel. (Mach.) (a) A crown wheel. (b) A Wheel whose disk face
is adapted for grinding and polishing; a lap.

Cylinder face (Steam Engine), the flat part of a steam cylinder on
which a slide valve moves. -- Face of an anvil, its flat upper surface.
-- Face of a bastion (Fort.), the part between the salient and the
shoulder angle. -- Face of coal (Mining), the principal cleavage plane,
at right angles to the stratification. -- Face of a gun, the surface of
metal at the muzzle. -- Face of a place (Fort.), the front comprehended
between the flanked angles of two neighboring bastions. Wilhelm. --
Face of a square (Mil.), one of the sides of a battalion when formed in
a square. -- Face of a watch, clock, compass, card etc., the dial or
graduated surface on which a pointer indicates the time of day, point
of the compass, etc. -- Face to face. (a) In the presence of each
other; as, to bring the accuser and the accused face to face. (b)
Without the interposition of any body or substance. "Now we see through
a glass darkly; but then face to face." 1 Cor. xiii. 12. (c) With the
faces or finished surfaces turned inward or toward one another; vis ‡
vis; -- opposed to back to back. -- To fly in the face of, to defy; to
brave; to withstand. -- To make a face, to distort the countenance; to
make a grimace. Shak.

Explanation ​

This excerpt from The Gutenberg Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary (a digitized version of Noah Webster’s 1913 Unabridged Dictionary) is a lexicographical entry for the word "face" in its various compound, technical, and figurative uses. While it may seem like a dry, encyclopedic listing, the passage is rich in historical, cultural, and linguistic significance, offering insights into how language encodes specialized knowledge, metaphor, and even philosophical ideas. Below is a detailed breakdown of the text, its themes, literary devices (where applicable), and broader implications.

1. Context of the Source ​

  • Project Gutenberg is a digital library of free eBooks, including public-domain reference works like Webster’s 1913 dictionary. This edition reflects late 19th/early 20th-century American English, capturing technical, scientific, and colloquial usages of the time.
  • Noah Webster’s dictionaries were foundational in standardizing American English, blending prescriptive and descriptive approaches. The 1913 Unabridged edition is particularly noted for its detailed technical definitions, reflecting the Industrial Revolution’s influence on language (e.g., machinery, fortification, mining).
  • The excerpt is not a literary work but a reference text, yet it inadvertently reveals how language structures human experience—from anatomy (face ague) to warfare (face of a bastion) to metaphor (face to face).

2. Themes in the Excerpt ​

A. The Multivalence of "Face" ​

The entry demonstrates how a single word can span concrete, abstract, technical, and metaphorical domains:

  • Anatomical/Medical: Face ague, face mite (parasitic, bodily).
  • Technical/Industrial: Face hammer, face plate, cylinder face (mechanical precision).
  • Military/Architectural: Face of a bastion, face of a gun (strategic surfaces).
  • Everyday/Figurative: Face card, face to face, to make a face (social, emotional, or spiritual interactions).

This semantic range highlights how language adapts to human needs—whether describing pain (tic douloureux), tools (face mold), or existential encounters ("now we see face to face").

B. The Intersection of Language and Technology ​

Many definitions reflect Industrial Age innovations:

  • Machinery: Face wheel (grinding/polishing), face plate (lathe work) → Language evolves with mechanical advancements.
  • Fortification/Mining: Face of a bastion, face of coal → Terms borrow from anatomy to describe structural "faces" (e.g., a wall’s exposed side).
  • Measurement: Face of a watch/compass → The "face" as an interface between human and instrument.

This mirrors how metaphorical extensions arise from literal uses (e.g., a clock’s "face" resembles a human face in its "readability").

C. Mortality and Ritual ​

  • Face cloth: A funeral shroud covering a corpse’s face → Connects to cultural practices around death (concealment, respect).
  • Face guard: Protects workers from industrial hazards → Contrasts with the face cloth’s symbolic role, showing how "face" mediates vulnerability (physical or existential).

D. Power and Confrontation ​

  • Face to face: Three meanings:
    1. Legal/judicial ("accuser and accused") → Face as a site of truth/conflict.
    2. Spiritual (1 Corinthians 13:12: "Now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face") → The face as a metaphor for divine revelation (vs. obscured vision).
    3. Spatial ("vis-à-vis") → Faces as oriented surfaces (e.g., mirrors, opposing armies).
  • To fly in the face of: Defiance → The face as a symbol of authority (to challenge it is to invite conflict).

E. Play and Deception ​

  • Face card: Kings, queens, jacks → The "face" as a mask (game personas).
  • To make a face: Grimacing → The face as a tool of expression or distortion (comedy, disgust, deception).

3. Literary Devices and Stylistic Features ​

While not a "literary" text, the excerpt employs:

A. Metonymy ​

  • The "face" of an object (e.g., face of a watch, face of an anvil) stands in for the whole—a synecdoche where the part represents the function (e.g., the watch’s "face" is its readable interface).
  • Face of a place (fortification): The "face" is the defensible front, metonymically tied to strategy and war.

B. Technical Jargon vs. Poetic Language ​

  • Jargon: Face joint (Arch.), cylinder face (Steam Engine) → Precision for experts.
  • Poetic/Philosophical: "Face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12) → Elevates the term to spiritual metaphor.
    • Contrast: The same phrase is used for legal confrontation and divine encounter, showing how language bridges mundane and sacred.

C. Cataloging as a Rhetorical Strategy ​

The list format creates a collage of meanings, juxtaposing disparate contexts:

  • A face mite (parasite) next to a face card (game) → Highlights how language compartments knowledge while also blurring boundaries (e.g., the body as a site of both suffering and play).

D. Etymological Layers ​

  • Some terms retain older usages (e.g., tic douloureux from French, Demdex folliculorum from Latin) → Shows how scientific and vernacular languages coexist.
  • Vis-à-vis (French) → Borrowed term for spatial orientation, reflecting cultural exchange.

4. Significance of the Excerpt ​

A. Language as a Mirror of Human Activity ​

The entry is a microcosm of how humans interact with the world:

  • Labor: Face guard, face hammer → Tools shape and are shaped by human hands.
  • Conflict: Face of a bastion, to fly in the face of → Language of warfare and resistance.
  • Spirituality: "Face to face" → The ultimate encounter (with God, truth, or another person).

B. The Dictionary as a Cultural Artifact ​

  • Reveals what was important in 1913: Steam engines, fortification, mining, and biblical references were central to discourse.
  • Absent modern usages (e.g., facetime, interface) → Shows how technology redefines metaphors (today, "face" is digital: Facebook, emojis).

C. The Face as a Liminal Space ​

The face is both personal and public:

  • Personal: Face ague (pain), to make a face (emotion).
  • Public: Face card (shared symbols), face of a place (collective defense).
  • Transcendent: "Face to face" (divine or ultimate meeting).

This duality reflects the face’s role as a threshold between self and other, individual and society, mortal and divine.

D. The Power of Definition ​

Webster’s dictionary was prescriptive (dictating "correct" usage) but also descriptive (recording how people actually spoke). This tension is visible in:

  • Technical terms (face mold) vs. colloquialisms (to make a face).
  • Scientific precision (face mite) vs. poetic ambiguity ("through a glass darkly").

5. Key Takeaways from the Text Itself ​

  1. "Face" is a boundary and a bridge:

    • It marks surfaces (anvil, bastion, watch) and encounters (confrontation, revelation).
    • Even in machinery (cylinder face), the term implies interaction (the valve slides on the face).

  2. Metaphor arises from the literal:

    • A face card "has a face" → anthropomorphism in objects.
    • Face to face extends from physical proximity to spiritual intimacy.

  3. Language is embedded in material culture:

    • The face guard protects workers; the face cloth honors the dead → Objects mediate human experiences.
    • The face of coal is a geological feature, but the term borrows from human anatomy to describe cleavage.

  4. The dictionary as a time capsule:

    • The absence of digital metaphors (interface) shows how technology reshapes language.
    • The inclusion of tic douloureux (a medical term) and face mite (a zoological term) reflects 19th-century scientific classification.

6. Conclusion: Why This Matters ​

This excerpt is more than a definition—it’s a map of how humans project meaning onto the world. The word "face" becomes a lens through which we see:

  • The body (pain, parasites, expressions).
  • Technology (tools, machines, instruments).
  • Conflict (war, defiance, justice).
  • The sacred (divine encounter, truth).

In its dry, systematic way, the dictionary reveals that language is never neutral: it carries the weight of history, culture, and human ingenuity. Even a single word like "face" becomes a palimpsest of meanings, layering the practical, the poetic, and the profound.