Main Entry:

¹sur·face

Pronunciation:

\ˈsər-fəs\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French, from Middle French, from sur- + face face, from Old French — more at face

Date:

circa 1600

1: the exterior or upper boundary of an object or body <on the surface of the water> <the earth's surface>2: a plane or curved two-dimensional locus of points (as the boundary of a three-dimensional region) <plane surface> <surface of a sphere>3 a: the external or superficial aspect of something <trouble lurks below the surface> b: an external part or layer <sanded the rough surfaces>

— on the surface

: to all outward appearances