United States gangster who terrorized Chicago during prohibition until arrested for tax evasion (1899-1947)
"Al Capone was a notorious scarface whose reign of terror in Chicago ended when he was finally imprisoned for evading taxes."
A person with a scarred face.
"The veteran soldier was known as a scarface because his battle wounds had left deep marks across his entire visage."
In plain English: A scarface is someone who has been shot and now shows visible scars on their face as proof of past violence.
"The movie featured a scarface with bloodshot eyes and a jagged smile who ran an illegal drug operation in Miami."
The word is formed by combining scar and face, creating a literal description of an injury to the skin rather than indicating any specific historical shift in meaning. It entered English as a straightforward compound phrase used to describe someone with a visible facial wound.