contouring

English

Verb

contouring

1. present participle and gerund of contour

Noun

contouring (countable and uncountable, plural contourings)

1. the construction of contour lines through a matrix of points each having a known value of some variable
2. a technique in makeup using blush and bronzing powder to define contours on the face
   • 2015 April 29, Kathleen Hou, “Why French Women Don’t Contour”, in The Cut‎^[1], New York, U.S.A.: Vox Media, retrieved July 2, 2020:

     Contouring is not our thing because the main beauty philosophy in France is to accept who you are.

3. the building up of muscles with exercise
4. walking along contour lines, usually to save energy or simplify navigation
   • 2020 July 2 (last accessed), “Advanced guide to reading contours and relief”, in Map reading‎^[2], Ordnance Survey:

     If you are going to be walking in mountainous or rough terrain it is often a good idea to plan a route following contour lines. This is called ‘contouring’.