mien

noun·/miːn/

A person's outward manner or bearing, especially as it reveals temperament or self-possession; the visible "tone" of the face and posture. Where expression can be momentary, mien describes a steadier aura, how someone inhabits themselves.

He had the mien of someone who listens before he speaks, as if words were costly and worth weighing.

Etymology

From French mine “appearance, look,” ultimately from a root meaning “face.” English adopted the word for what the face communicates beyond features: character glimpsed in carriage.

Related Words

demeanorbehavioral bearing; close in sense
countenanceface; often with moral or emotional implication
bearingposture and presence
airthe older figurative “look”; lighter and more general