Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
hemifacial

hemifacial

9.2
Affecting one side of the face
  • adjective
  • /ˌhɛmɪˈfeɪʃəl/
  • Specialized
: hemifacial
  • She developed hemifacial paralysis after the surgery, which affected only the left side of her face.
  • hemifacial spasm

Examples

  • Middle ear myoclonus may also be associated with hemifacial spasms, eyelid tremors, or excessive anxiety.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Indications for medical therapy included obstruction of the visual field (n=9), hemifacial involvement (n=6), and recurrent ulceration/bleeding (n=3).

    Academic text (2015)

  • The patient presented with hemifacial symptoms, including twitching on one side of his face.

  • Following the accident, he experienced hemifacial pain localized to the right side, making it difficult to eat.

Surface Forms

hemifacial positive

Morphology

hemifacial = facial (semi-transparent) = hemi + face + ial

The word is regularly built from 'facial' with the classical prefix 'hemi-', but the combining form may be unfamiliar to many learners.

Etymology

The word hemifacial comes from hemi- 'half' and facial 'face', like in hemisphere where hemi- means 'half'. So it describes something that affects one side of the face.