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