physiognomy

The story

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromφυσιογνωμία“physiology”
2. Late Latin · derived fromphysiognomia
3. Middle French · derived fromphisonomie
4. Anglo-Norman · derived fromphisenomie
5. Middle English · inherited fromphisonomie
6. English todayphysiognomy

Inherited from Middle English phisonomie, from Anglo-Norman phisenomie, Middle French phisonomie et al., ultimately from Late Latin physiognomia, from Ancient Greek φυσιογνωμία (phusiognōmía, “physiology”), from φύσις (phúsis, “physique, appearance”) + γνώμη (gnṓmē, “means of knowing”). Middle English phisonomie would regularly develop into *physnomy /ˈfɪznəmi/ (forms of this type are common in Early Modern English, such as fisnomie in All's Well that Ends Well); the modern spelling and pronunciation are due to learned influence.