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describes - 2 dictionary results

de⋅scribe

[di-skrahyb]
–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


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


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.
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.
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