grimace

Meanings

Plural: grimaces

Noun

a contorted facial expression
- "she made a grimace at the prospect"
A contorted facial expression, often expressing contempt or pain.
Affectation, pretence.

Verb

contort the face to indicate a certain mental or emotional state
- "He grimaced when he saw the amount of homework he had to do"
To make grimaces; to distort one's face; to make faces.

Origin / Etymology

From French grimace, from Middle French grimace, from Old French grimace, grimuche, from grime (“mask”) (with the pejorative suffix -ace, from Latin -āceus), from Frankish *grīma, *grīmō (“mask”), from Proto-Germanic *grīmô (“mask, helmet”). Cognate with Old English grīma (“mask, visor, helmet, spectre, apparition”). More at grime.

Synonyms

face, make a face, pull a face

Scrabble Score: 12

grimace is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
grimace is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
grimace is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

grimace is a valid Words With Friends word