surface
/ˈsəːfɪs
/noun
1The outside part or uppermost layer of something: the earth’s surface poor road surfaces...
- A survey of 2,200 drivers showed that one in three suffered mood changes blaming the weather, tiredness or even poor road surfaces.
- City of York Council chiefs said the work had to be done because the road surface was in such poor condition.
- Tyres fail to grip when brakes are applied and contact with the road surface is poor.
Synonyms
outside, exterior;
top, side, facet, plane, aspect;
finish, veneer
1.1The level top of something: roll out the dough on a floured surface...
- Assemble the table on a level surface, turn the top wheel upside down and place the seat wheel on top of it.
- To start the engine hold the saw firmly in a position on a level surface by putting the right foot in the handle and making sure the chain is clear.
- Make sure to position barbecues on firm, level surfaces before starting to cook and never carry or move a lit barbecue.
Synonyms
worktop, top, working top, work surface, counter, table, stand, horizontal surface
1.2 (also surface area) The area of an outer part or uppermost layer of something: the surface area of a cube...
- Untouched wild places have now shrunk to one-sixth of the Earth's land surface.
1.3The upper limit of a body of liquid: fish floating on the surface of the water...
- It is universally understood that heaving a major portion of your body over the surface of the water is a tough thing to do.
- Why can we see beneath water whereas the ray of vision reflects off opaque bodies and the surface of water is opaque?
- She was veiled in a dark cloak, billowing around her slim body and skimming the surface of the water.
1.4 [in singular] The outward appearance of someone or something, especially as distinct from less obvious aspects: Tom was a womanizer, but on the surface he remained respectable [as modifier]: surface appearances...
- Both see the lasting truth beneath the surface of mere outward appearance.
- What distinguished many of the Young British Artists was their reluctance to probe beyond the surface of appearance.
- We peer deep beneath the surface of appearances, and far into the cosmic past.
Synonyms
outward appearance, superficial appearance, facade
at first glance, to the casual eye, outwardly, to all appearances, apparently, ostensibly, superficially, externally, visibly
2 Geometry A continuous set of points that has length and breadth but no thickness.Among closed surfaces, spherical, flat, and hyperbolic geometry are mutually exclusive....
- In this case, the toroidal surface has become an off-axis segment of an ellipsoid.
- He also considered curves of double curvature on the sphere and the quadrature of parts of a spherical surface.
adjective [attributive]
1Relating to or found on the surface of something: surface layers...
- The fish seem to love the surface layers at this budget-priced urban oasis with a couple of anglers getting a bite with chuck fishing casters on the drop.
- Ground-source heat pumps pull energy from solar heat stored in the surface layer of the ground.
- When the vegetation dies, the dead biomass eventually becomes peat in the surface layer where it is subjected to decomposition.
Synonyms
superficial, external, exterior, outward, seeming, ostensible, apparent, cosmetic, skin deep
1.1Denoting ships which travel on the surface of the water as distinct from submarines: the surface fleet...
- The primary mission of Neustrashimy Class frigates is to combat submarines and surface ships.
- Testing surface ships by submarines is just one of the facets of RIMPAC 04.
- It was the second participation by a surface ship of the Royal Navy.
1.2Carried by or denoting transportation by sea or overland rather than by air: surface mail...
- And Little England gears to upgrade surface transportation in readiness for the cricket World Cup.
- In the morning we will fly on to Yundum airport and take surface transportation into Banjul, the capital of The Gambia.
- We should just switch to IM-based communication, and treat email like fax or surface mail.
verb
1 [no object] Rise or come up to the surface of the water or the ground: he surfaced from his dive...
- He smiled at his wife before diving into the cool water, surfacing and glancing at Emily expectantly.
- She did an almost perfect dive into the water as well and surfaced next to him.
- Adri surfaced and wiped the water off of her face.
Synonyms
come to the surface, come to the top, come up, rise
1.1Come to people’s attention; become apparent: the row first surfaced two years ago...
- Had they both had a chance of success, the issue might have surfaced and received the real attention which the main parties tried to stifle.
- Two main issues have surfaced with the presence of IM on corporate networks.
- A last-minute story has surfaced, designed apparently to damage the Bush effort for the presidency.
Synonyms
emerge, arise, appear, come to light, come up, come into sight, come into view, come out, crop up, materialize, become visible, spring up, loom
1.2 informal (Of a person) appear after having been asleep: it was almost 11.30 before Anthony surfaced...
- The scene was still and quiet, but all the same I had surfaced from my dreams nervously, with heavy breathing.
Synonyms
get up, get out of bed, appear, rise, wake, awaken
2 [with object] Provide (something, especially a road) with a particular surface: a small path surfaced with terracotta tiles...
- Concrete blocks to surface the roads can be constructed in a process similar to the roof tiles.
- Mrs Mountford said the final houses had been built on the estate last September and the developer had promised to surface the roads but no progress had been made.
- Local firm Chestnut Developments had wanted to build in the gardens and surface the unmade lane.
Derivatives
surfacer
Origin
Early 17th century: from French (see sur-1, face), suggested by Latin superficies.
superficial from Late Middle English:
This is from Latin superficies ‘surface’, and was at first used in the literal sense. The word came to be applied to people meaning ‘shallow’ in the early 17th century (Shakespeare Measure for Measure: ‘A very superficial, ignorant, unweighing fellow’). Surface (early 17th century) was a 16th-century French coinage based on the Latin.