countenance vs physiognomy

countenance and physiognomy both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
countenance	Yes	No	Yes	No
physiognomy	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, countenance and physiognomy are synonyms defined as:

countenance and physiognomy: the human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face' and `phiz' is British)

Other synonyms of countenance include kisser, mug, phiz, smiler, visage.

countenance (noun)	physiognomy (noun)
the appearance conveyed by a person's face	the human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face' and `phiz' is British)
the human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face' and `phiz' is British)
formal and explicit approval

countenance (verb)	physiognomy (verb)
consent to, give permission; permit