lineament

[ lin-ee-uh-muhnt ]
See synonyms for lineament on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Often lineaments. a feature or detail of a face, body, or figure, considered with respect to its outline or contour: His fine lineaments made him the very image of his father.

  2. Usually lineaments. distinguishing features; distinctive characteristics: the lineaments of sincere repentance.

  1. Geology. a linear topographic feature of regional extent that is believed to reflect underlying crustal structure.

Origin of lineament

1
First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English, from Latin līneāmentum “a stroke, line (made with a pen, chalk, etc.)”; plural, “features, drawings,” equivalent to līneā(re) “to reduce to a straight line, draw or trace lines,” (derivative of līnea; see line1) + -mentum-ment

Other words from lineament

  • lin·e·a·men·tal [lin-ee-a-men-tl], /ˌlɪn i æˈmɛn tl/, adjective
  • lin·e·a·men·ta·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for lineament

lineament

/ (ˈlɪnɪəmənt) /


noun(often plural)
  1. a facial outline or feature

  2. a distinctive characteristic or feature

  1. geology any long natural feature on the surface of the earth, such as a fault, esp as revealed by aerial photography

Origin of lineament

1
C15: from Latin: line, from līneāre to draw a line

Derived forms of lineament

  • lineamental (ˌlɪnɪəˈmɛntəl), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012