A Facade Is the Face of a Building
A facade is the front of a building, or a false appearance. The word is simply the Italian for face.
A facade is the principal front of a building. The word is Italian *facciata*, from *faccia*, face, and the metaphorical sense followed naturally: a facade can present something the interior does not support. Architecture even has a word for the extreme case — *facadism*, keeping only the front of a historic building while rebuilding everything behind it.
- The front of a building. *A stone facade.*
- A false appearance. *A facade of calm.*
- Facadism — retaining only the frontage. *Criticised as facadism.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | facade | A glass facade. |
| Plural | facades | Restored facades. |
| Variant | façade | With the cedilla. |
| Related | face | A stone face. |
| Related | surface | A rough surface. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The facade was restored.Architecture.
- He maintained a facade of confidence.Appearance.
- The cedilla makes the C soft.Façade, pronounced fa-SAHD.
Building fronts
- Facade — the main face of a building
- Elevation — a drawing of any one side
- Portico — a columned porch
- Curtain wall — a non-structural outer skin, often glass
- Facadism — preserving the frontage while rebuilding behind
From French *façade*, from Italian *facciata*, from *faccia*, face, from Latin *facies*. The cedilla marks the soft C sound.
Facade or façade?
Both are correct. The cedilla shows the C is pronounced as an S, but English commonly drops it.
What is facadism?
Demolishing a building but keeping its historic front, then constructing a new structure behind it. Conservationists generally dislike it.