Adjacent Words

Description definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DESCRIPTION, n.
1. The act of delineating, or representing the figure of any thing by a plan, to be presented to the eye.
2. The figure or appearance of any thing delineated, or represented by visible lines, marks, colors, etc.; as the description of a country, or of Solomons temple.
3. The act of representing a thing by words or by signs, or the passage containing such representation; a representation of names, nature of properties, that gives to another a view of the thing. Homer abounds with beautiful and striking descriptions.
4. A definition. All definitions must be less perfect descriptions of a material thing, than a visible figure or delineation.
5. The qualities expressed in a representation; as, a man of this description. Hence,
6. The persons having the qualities expressed; a class of persons to whom a description is applicable, or who are in a similar condition.
The secretary proceeds to examine, whether a difference ought to be permitted to remain between them and another description of public creditors.
Persons of different descriptions.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a statement that represents something in words [syn: description, verbal description]
2: the act of describing something
3: sort or variety; "every description of book was there"

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English descripcioun, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin description-, descriptio, from describere Date: 14th century 1. a. an act of describing; specifically discourse intended to give a mental image of something experienced b. a descriptive statement or account 2. kind or character especially as determined by salient features <opposed to any tax of so radical a description> Synonyms: see type

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a the act or an instance of describing; the process of being described. b a spoken or written representation (of a person, object, or event). 2 a sort, kind, or class (no food of any description). Phrases and idioms: answers (or fits) the description has the qualities specified. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L descriptio -onis (as DESCRIBE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Description De*scrip"tion, n. [F. description, L. descriptio. See Describe.] 1. The act of describing; a delineation by marks or signs. 2. 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. Milton has descriptions of morning. --D. Webster. 3. A class to which a certain representation is applicable; kind; sort. A difference . . . between them and another description of public creditors. --A. Hamilton. The plates were all of the meanest description. --Macaulay. Syn: Account; definition; recital; relation; detail; narrative; narration; explanation; delineation; representation; kind; sort. See Definition.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(descriptions) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A description of someone or something is an account which explains what they are or what they look like. Police have issued a description of the man who was aged between fifty and sixty... He has a real gift for vivid description. N-VAR: oft N of n 2. If something is of a particular description, it belongs to the general class of items that are mentioned. Events of this description occurred daily. = kind, type N-SING: of N 3. You can say that something is beyond description, or that it defies description, to emphasize that it is very unusual, impressive, terrible, or extreme. His face is weary beyond description... N-UNCOUNT: oft beyond N [emphasis]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Delineation, tracing. 2. Representation, explanation, account, relation, recital, report, narration, narrative. 3. Sort, kind, class, species.

Moby Thesaurus

account, anecdote, blood, brand, breed, cast, category, character, characterization, chronicle, clan, class, color, commentary, construction, definition, delineation, denomination, depiction, designation, diagnosis, differentiation, distinction, explanation, feather, form, genre, genus, grain, history, ilk, interpretation, kidney, kin, kind, label, line, lot, make, manner, mark, meaning, memoir, mold, narration, narrative, nature, number, persuasion, phylum, picture, portrait, portraiture, portrayal, presentment, race, reading, recital, record, recountal, recounting, report, representation, shape, sort, species, stamp, statement, story, strain, stripe, style, tale, the like of, the likes of, thumbnail sketch, tribe, type, variety, version, way of seeing, yarn