facial angle

American  

noun

1. Craniometry. the angle formed by a line from nasion to prosthion at its intersection with the plane of the Frankfurt horizontal.

---

facial angle British  

noun

1. the angle formed between a line from the base of the nose to the opening of the ear and a line from the base of the nose to the most prominent part of the forehead: often used in comparative anthropology

---

Etymology

Origin of facial angle

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

His forehead betokens greater capacity; being more prominent, more vaulted, and with a greater facial angle.

From The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)

The brow was smooth and young, the facial angle high, the hair, now no longer under the inevitable turban, smooth and black, with just a suspicion of frost above the temples.

From Sons and Fathers by Edwards, Harry Stillwell

There is little or no brow prominence and one at least of the skulls is as orthognathous in facial angle as that of a European.

From Man, Past and Present by Haddon, Alfred Court

I deem this a pendant to Camper’s discovery of the facial angle, and one too which was not quite so obvious or so easy to be made.

From Beauty Illustrated Chiefly by an Analysis and Classificatin of Beauty in Woman by Walker, Alexander

Investigations have shown that facial angle and capacity of cranium and cephalic index afford no certain criterion of thought power or susceptibility to culture.

From A Review of Hoffman's Race Traits and Tendencies of the American Negro The American Negro Academy. Occasional Papers No. 1 by Miller, Kelly