description
English edit
Etymology edit
From Old French description, from Latin dēscrīptiō, noun of action of dēscrībō (“I describe”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
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 edit
Derived terms edit
- audio description
- beggar description
- charge description master
- descriptional
- descriptionally
- descriptionism
- descriptionist
- descriptionistic
- descriptionless
- description logic
- description word
- hardware description language
- job description
- metadescription
- misdescription
- nondescription
- nondescriptional
- of any description
- of some description
- redescription
- video description
Related terms edit
Translations edit
account in words
|
act of describing
|
set of characteristics
|
linguistics: act or practice of recording and describing actual language usage
See also edit
Further reading edit
- “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 edit
Anagrams edit
French edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Latin dēscriptiōnem.
Pronunciation edit
- IPA(key): /dɛs.kʁip.sjɔ̃/
Audio (file) - Homophone: descriptions
Noun edit
description f (plural descriptions)
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- “description”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Old French edit
Etymology edit
Learned borrowing from Latin dēscriptiō.
Noun edit
description oblique singular, f (oblique plural descriptions, nominative singular description, nominative plural descriptions)