лице

Bulgarian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lice.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [liˈt͡sɛ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

лице́ • (licé) n (relational adjective ли́цев)

1. frontal profile
   1. face

      лице в лице ― lice v lice ― face to face, nose to nose

      пред лицето на ― pred liceto na ― in the face of

      на лице ― na lice ― at hand, in availability

      с лице към ― s lice kǎm ― with [a] face towards, facing

      обръщам се с лице към ― obrǎštam se s lice kǎm ― to face, to make front to

      изсмивам се в лицето на някого ― izsmivam se v liceto na njakogo ― to laugh in someone's face

      казвам нещо в лицето на някого ― kazvam nešto v liceto na njakogo ― to say something to someone's face

      познавам по лице ― poznavam po lice ― to know by sight

      имам лице да ― imam lice da ― to have the face to, to have the cheek to

   2. physiognomy, countenance (facial appearance/expression)

      Synonyms: физиономия (fizionomija), изражение (izraženie)

      безизразно лице ― bezizrazno lice ― poker face

      изписано някому на лицето ― izpisano njakomu na liceto ― written on one's countenance

      правя лице някому/на някого (ideom) ― pravja lice njakomu/na njakogo ― to fawn on s.o. (literally, “to make face at s.o.”)

   3. facade, front (of a building, structure)
   4. obverse (of a coin or a medal)
   5. (shoemaking) upper, vamp
2. (metonymic) individual
   1. person

      Synonym: човек (čovek)

      в лицето на ― v liceto na ― in the person of

      длъжностно лице ― dlǎžnostno lice ― an official, an office-holder, a functionary

      официални лица ― oficialni lica ― official representatives/guests

      частно лице ― častno lice ― a private individual

      поставено лице ― postaveno lice ― a straw man, a dummy

      техническо лице ― tehničesko lice ― an expert, a qualified technician

      упълномощено лице ― upǎlnomošteno lice ― a person in authority

      (law) физическо лице ― (law) fizičesko lice ― a natural person, a physical person

      (law) юридическо лице ― (law) juridičesko lice ― juridical person, body corporate, corporate body, corporation, legal entity

   2. (literature) character (a being involved in the action of a story)

      Synonym: персонаж (personaž)

      действащи лица (в пиеса) ― dejstvašti lica (v piesa) ― dramatis personae, characters

   3. (grammar) person
3. (mathematics, geometry) surface

Declension

Declension of лице́

	singular	plural
indefinite	лице́ licé	лица́ licá
definite	лице́то licéto	лица́та licáta

Derived terms

• лице- (lice-) (in compounds)
  • лицебръ́с (licebrǎ́s, “face towel”) (dialectal)
  • лицезре́ние (licezrénie, “facial contact”)
  • лицеме́р (licemér, “hypocrite”)
  • лицеописа́ние (liceopisánie, “face description”)
  • олицетворе́ние (olicetvorénie, “personification”) (prefixed with о- (o-))
• лича́ (ličá, “to discern”) (causative-iterative), normally as impersonal личи́ (ličí, “[it] seems”)

Related terms

• лик (lik, “facial feature”)
• ли́ка (líka, “trait, image”) (dialectal)
• ли́чен (líčen, “personal”)
  • ли́чност (líčnost, “personality”)

References

• “лице”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “лице”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010
• Nayden Gerov (1899) “лице́”, in Рѣчникъ на Блъгарскꙑй язꙑкъ. Съ тлъкувание рѣчи-тꙑ на Блъгарскꙑ и на Русскꙑ. [Dictionary of the Bulgarian language]‎^[1] (in Bulgarian), volume 3, Plovdiv: Дружествена печꙗтница "Съгласие.", page 16
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1986), “лице”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 3 (крес¹ – мѝнго¹), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 438
• “лице”, in Старобългарски речник [Dictionary of Old Bulgarian] (in Bulgarian), https://histdict.uni-sofia.bg, 2011—2025

Macedonian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lice.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlit͡sɛ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

лице • (lice) n (relational adjective личен, diminutive лиценце)

1. face
2. person (grammar)
3. person, individual

Declension

Declension of лице

	singular	plural
indefinite	лице (lice)	лица (lica)
definite unspecified	лицето (liceto)	лицата (licata)
definite proximal	лицево (licevo)	лицава (licava)
definite distal	лицено (liceno)	лицана (licana)
vocative	лице (lice)	лица (lica)

Old Church Slavonic

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *līcè ("cheek, face").

Noun

лице • (lice) n

1. face, cheek

   лицемь къ лицоу, лицемь въ лице, въ лице, на лици ― licemĭ kŭ licu, licemĭ vŭ lice, vŭ lice, na lici ― face to face

   беꙁ лица ― bez lica ― shameless(?), disfigured(?)

   оутвръдити лице своѥ ― utvrŭditi lice svoje ― harden one’s resolve

2. the frontal aspect of something
3. surface
4. appearance, form, countenance

   на лици ― na lici ― outwardly, to appearances

   на лице/лица ꙁьрѣти, на лице/лица сѫдити ― na lice/lica zĭrěti, na lice/lica sǫditi ― to be biased, partial, prejudiced

5. person

   самъ своимь лицемь ― samŭ svoimĭ licemĭ ― personally

6. essence, nature
7. hypostasis

Declension

Declension of лице (s-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	лице lice	личесоу ličesu	личесьмъ ličesĭmŭ
genitive	личесѣ ličesě	личесъ ličesŭ	личесьмь ličesĭmĭ
dative	личеса ličesa	личесе ličese	личесьма ličesĭma
accusative	лице lice	личесоу ličesu	личесꙑ ličesy
instrumental	личесѣ ličesě	личесьхъ ličesĭxŭ	лице lice
locative	личеса ličesa	личеси ličesi	личесѣ ličesě
vocative	личесе ličese	личесьма ličesĭma	личеса ličesa

Declension of лице (soft o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	лице lice	лици lici	лица lica
genitive	лица lica	лицоу licu	лиць licĭ
dative	лицоу licu	лицема licema	лицемъ licemŭ
accusative	лице lice	лици lici	лица lica
instrumental	лицемь licemĭ	лицема licema	лици lici
locative	лици lici	лицоу licu	лицихъ licixŭ
vocative	лице lice	лици lici	лица lica

References

• Cejtlin, R.M.; Večerka, R.; Blagova, E., editors (1994), “лице”, in Staroslavjanskij slovarʹ (po rukopisjam X—XI vekov) [Old Church Slavonic Dictionary (Based on 10–11th Century Manuscripts)], Moscow: Russkij jazyk
• Hauptova Z., editor (1958–1997), “лице”, in Slovník jazyka staroslověnského (Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae), Prague: Euroslavica
• Derksen, Rick (2008) Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN

Russian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [lʲɪˈt͡sɛ]

Noun

лице́ • (licé) n inan or n anim

1. prepositional singular of лицо́ (licó)

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lice.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lǐːt͡se/
• Hyphenation: ли‧це

Noun

ли́це n (Latin spelling líce)

1. face
2. (grammar) person
3. (Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia) person, individual

Declension

Declension of лице

	singular	plural
nominative	лице	лица
genitive	лица	лица̂
dative	лицу	лицима
accusative	лице	лица
vocative	лице	лица
locative	лицу	лицима
instrumental	лицем	лицима

Ukrainian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lice.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɫeˈt͡sɛ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Hyphenation: ли‧це

Noun

лице́ • (lycé) n inan (genitive лиця́, nominative plural ли́ця, genitive plural лиць)

1. face

   Synonym: обли́ччя n (oblýččja)

Declension

Declension of лице́
(inan soft neut-form accent-d)

	singular	plural
nominative	лице́ lycé	ли́ця lýcja
genitive	лиця́ lycjá	лиць lycʹ
dative	лицю́ lycjú	ли́цям lýcjam
accusative	лице́ lycé	ли́ця lýcja
instrumental	лице́м lycém	ли́цями lýcjamy
locative	лицю́, лиці́ lycjú, lycí	ли́цях lýcjax
vocative	лице́ lycé	ли́ця lýcja

References

• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “лице”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka