faceplate

• face-plate, face plate

Compound of face +‎ plate.

faceplate (plural faceplates)

1. A removable protective shield separating the inner workings of a machine from operator and observer.
   • 1988, Electronic Design, volume 36, numbers 1-6, page 124:

     The keyboard's faceplate, that is, the cover holding the plastic key against the rubber keyboard, is usually molded ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic.

2. A rigid flat surface that has an active role in the interaction of a device with an operator or user.
3. A transparent window forming part of a helmet directly in front of the wearer's face, allowing them to see out.

• “faceplate”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “faceplate”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “faceplate, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• Jesse Sheidlower, editor (2001–2024), “face plate, n.”, in Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction.

• alefacept