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Describe - 4 dictionary results

de⋅scribe

  [di-skrahyb]
Use Describe in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), -scribed, -scrib⋅ing.
1. to tell or depict in written or spoken words; give an account of: He described the accident very carefully.
2. to pronounce, as by a designating term, phrase, or the like; label: There are few people who may be described as geniuses.
3. to indicate; be a sign of; denote: Conceit, in many cases, describes a state of serious emotional insecurity.
4. to represent or delineate by a picture or figure.
5. Geometry. to draw or trace the outline of: to describe an arc.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME describen < L dēscrībere, equiv. to dē- de- + scrībere to write

Related forms:
de⋅scrib⋅a⋅ble, adjective
de⋅scrib⋅a⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun
de⋅scrib⋅a⋅bly, adverb
de⋅scrib⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. portray, characterize, represent; recount, tell, relate. Describe, narrate agree in the idea of giving an account of something. To describe is to convey in words the appearance, nature, attributes, etc., of something. The word often implies vividness of personal observation: to describe a scene, an event. To narrate is to recount the occurrence of something, usually by giving the details of an event or events in the order of their happening. Narrate thus applies only to that which happens in time: to narrate an incident.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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de·scribe   (dĭ-skrīb')   
tr.v.   de·scribed, de·scrib·ing, de·scribes
  1. To give an account of in speech or writing.
  2. To convey an idea or impression of; characterize: She described her childhood as a time of wonder and discovery.
  3. To represent pictorially; depict: Goya's etchings describe the horrors of war in grotesque detail.
  4. To trace the form or outline of: describe a circle with a compass.

[Middle English describen, from Latin dēscrībere, to write down : dē-, de- + scrībere, to write; see skrībh- in Indo-European roots.]
de·scrib'a·ble adj., de·scrib'er n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to tell the facts, details, or particulars of something verbally or in writing: described the accident; narrated their travel experiences; an explorer reciting her adventures; a mercenary recounting his exploits; parents rehearsing street safety with their children; related the day's events; reported what she had seen.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Describe

De*scribe"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Described; p. pr. & vb. n. Describing.] [L. describere, descriptum; de- + scribere to write: cf. OE. descriven, OF. descrivre, F. d['e]crire. See Scribe, and cf. Descry.]

1. To represent by drawing; to draw a plan of; to delineate; to trace or mark out; as, to describe a circle by the compasses; a torch waved about the head in such a way as to describe a circle.

2. To represent by words written or spoken; to give an account of; to make known to others by words or signs; as, the geographer describes countries and cities.

3. To distribute into parts, groups, or classes; to mark off; to class. [Obs.]

Passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book. --Josh. xviii. 9.

Syn: To set forth; represent; delineate; relate; recount; narrate; express; explain; depict; portray; chracterize.

Describe

De*scribe"\, v. i. To use the faculty of describing; to give a description; as, Milton describes with uncommon force and beauty.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Describe
Spanish: describir,
German: beschreiben,
Japanese: 描写する
More Translations »
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