Surface Means Above the Face
A surface is the outside of something. The word is a French compound of over and face, and it is also a verb meaning to appear.
A surface is the outer boundary of an object. The French compound is literal: *sur*, over, and *face* — the surface is what lies over the face of a thing. As a verb it means to come to the top, which is why submarines and awkward facts both surface.
- The outside of something. *A smooth surface.*
- The top of a liquid. *The surface of the lake.*
- To come to the top. *The submarine surfaced.*
- On the surface — apparently. *On the surface it looks fine.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | surface | A rough surface. |
| Plural | surfaces | Kitchen surfaces. |
| Verb | surface | New evidence surfaced. |
| Adjective | superficial | A superficial cut. |
| Related | resurface | Resurface the road. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Clean all surfaces after preparing meat.Food hygiene.
- The story surfaced again this week.Reappeared.
- On the surface, nothing had changed.Appearances.
Surface words
- Surface area — the total area of the outside
- Superficial — on the surface only
- Resurface — repair a road, or reappear
- Surface tension — the force that makes a liquid surface behave like a skin
- Interface — the boundary where two surfaces meet
From French *surface*, from *sur*, over, and *face*, from Latin *facies*, form or appearance. *Superficial* comes from the Latin equivalent, *superficies*.
Why does surface area matter so much in science?
Because reactions, heat transfer and absorption all happen at surfaces. Dividing a solid multiplies its surface without adding mass.
Surface or superficial?
Surface is neutral and physical. Superficial usually criticises: it means shallow, dealing only with appearances.