Why this word is great
PATHOGNOMY — [Noun] The study or recognition of emotions and passions through their outward signs or expressions. From Ancient Greek πάθος (páthos, "passion, suffering") + -gnomy (from physiognomy, "judgment of character from facial features"). Unlike "physiognomy" (which maps fixed features to fixed traits) or "diagnosis" (which catalogs symptoms to name disease), pathognomy deciphers the transient—the tremor of a lip before tears, the dilation of pupils in surprise, or the sudden tightening of knuckles around a glass. It is the silent language of a clenched jaw in a crowded room, the way a hand hesitates before touching a shoulder, or the precise angle at which someone turns their face away to hide tears. We are all unwitting authors of these small, involuntary confessions.