description
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English
Etymology
From Middle English descripcioun, from Old French description and its etymon, Latin dēscrīptiō, noun of action of dēscrībō (“I describe”).
Pronunciation
Noun
description (countable and uncountable, plural descriptions)
- A sketch or account of anything in words; a portraiture or representation in language; an enumeration of the essential qualities of a thing or species.
- give a verbal description of the events
- a realistic description
- The act of describing; a delineation by marks or signs.
- A set of characteristics by which someone or something can be recognized.
- The zoo had no lions, tigers, or cats of any description.
- (taxonomy) A scientific documentation of a taxon for the purpose of introducing it to science.
- The type description of the fungus was written by a botanist.
- (linguistics) The act or practice of recording and describing actual language usage in a given speech community, as opposed to prescription, i.e. laying down norms of language usage.
- (linguistics) A descriptive linguistic survey.
Synonyms
Derived terms
- audiodescription
- audio description
- beggar description
- charge description master
- descriptional
- descriptionally
- descriptionism
- descriptionist
- descriptionistic
- descriptionless
- description logic
- description word
- hardware description language
- ideographic description sequence
- job description
- metadescription
- misdescription
- nondescription
- nondescriptional
- of any description
- of some description
- overdescription
- redescription
- videodescription
- video description
Related terms
Translations
account in words
|
act of describing
|
set of characteristics
|
taxonomy: scientific documentation of a taxon
|
linguistics: act or practice of recording and describing actual language usage
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linguistics: descriptive linguistic survey
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See also
Further reading
- “description”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “description”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
See also
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin dēscriptiōnem.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dɛs.kʁip.sjɔ̃/
Audio: (file) - Homophone: descriptions
Noun
description f (plural descriptions)
Related terms
Further reading
- “description”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.
Old French
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin dēscriptiō.
Noun
description oblique singular, f (oblique plural descriptions, nominative singular description, nominative plural descriptions)