physionotrace

noun

phys·​i·​on·​o·​trace

ˌfizēˈänə‧ˌtrās

plural -s

: a device used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to trace the profile of a sitter with chalk or white crayon on a red paper, the image being then completed in black or white crayon

Word History

Etymology

French, from physiono- (from physionomie facial features, from Middle French phisonomie, physionomie facial features, physiognomy) + -trace (from tracer to trace, draw)

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