The spelling of the phrase "pale faced" is pretty straightforward. "Pale" is spelled with a silent "e" at the end, and pronounced as /peɪl/. "Faced" is spelled with a "c" and pronounced as /feɪst/. The two words are commonly used together to describe someone with a pale complexion, typically due to illness or fright. It's important to use correct spelling and pronunciation to convey the intended meaning effectively.
The term "pale-faced" is an adjective used to describe someone with a light or colorless complexion, particularly referring to their facial skin. This phrase is typically used to depict an individual with an absence or minimal amount of color or natural pigmentation in their face, resulting in a paler or lighter complexion than the average person.
The word "pale-faced" is often associated with individuals who have fair or white skin that lacks a healthy amount of melanin, a pigment responsible for skin coloration. It may also be utilized to describe someone who appears physically weak, sickly, or lacking vitality due to their pallid complexion.
The use of "pale-faced" can convey various meanings depending on the context. In a more colloquial sense, it can be employed metaphorically to describe an individual who is frightened, shocked, or surprised, and their face becomes noticeably pale or colorless due to the emotional reaction. This figurative use emphasizes the sudden and drastic effect that a particular event or discovery has on the person, visually reflecting their shock or distress.
Overall, "pale-faced" serves as an adjective to describe a person with a light or lacking complexion, often indicating an absence of color in the face, or metaphorically highlighting an emotional response resulting in a visibly pallid countenance.
The term "pale faced" combines the adjective "pale" and the noun "face".
The word "pale" can be traced back to the Old French word "paile", meaning "palisade" or "fence made of wooden stakes". That sense evolved to refer to a stake used to define a boundary or to secure something, and later took on the meaning of a wooden barrier protecting an area. From there, it extended to describe a barrier of any material, including a fence made of stakes or pickets.
Eventually, "pale" started being used metaphorically to describe something or someone lacking color, liveliness, or vitality. This is the sense in which it is used in "pale faced".
The word "face" originated from the Old French word "face", which came from the Latin word "facies" meaning "appearance", "form", or "countenance".