The most common usage of the noun “countenance” is “a person’s face or facial expression,” as seen in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”: “Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike, he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners.” But there are a few other uses for the word, too. As a noun, it can mean “support.” This is most similar to the Middle French origin “contenance,” meaning “behavior, demeanor.” When used as a verb, “countenance” means “admit as acceptable or possible,” as in, “I countenance that she could have done it.”