Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

profile

 - 10 dictionary results

pro⋅file

[proh-fahyl] noun, verb, -filed, -fil⋅ing.
–noun
1. the outline or contour of the human face, esp. the face viewed from one side.
2. a picture or representation of the side view of a head.
3. an outlined view, as of a city or mountain.
4. an outline of an object, as a molding, formed on a vertical plane passed through the object at right angles to one of its principal horizontal dimensions.
5. a drawing or the like representing this.
6. Surveying. a vertical section of the ground surface taken parallel to a survey line. Compare cross section (def. 6).
7. a verbal, arithmetical, or graphic summary or analysis of the history, status, etc., of a process, activity, relationship, or set of characteristics: a biochemical profile of a patient's blood; a profile of national consumer spending.
8. an informal biography or a concisely presented sketch of the life and character of a person.
9. a set of characteristics or qualities that identify a type or category of person or thing: a profile of a typical allergy sufferer.
10. the look, configuration, or lines of something: cars with a modern profile.
11. degree of noticeability; visibility.
12. Psychology. a description of behavioral and personality traits of a person compared with accepted norms or standards.
13. Theater. a flat stage property or scenic piece cut from a firm, thin material, as of beaverboard or plywood, and having an irregular edge resembling the silhouette of a natural object.
14. (in a gear) the outline of either end of a tooth.
15. Naval Architecture. a longitudinal elevation or section of a vessel. Compare outboard profile.
–verb (used with object)
16. to draw a profile of.
17. to produce or present a history, description, or analysis of: The magazine will profile the candidate in its next issue.

Origin:
1650–60; (n.) < It prof(f)ilo, n. deriv. of profilare to delineate, outline, equiv. to pro- pro- 1 + -filare, deriv. of filo line, thread < L fīlum


pro⋅fil⋅er, noun


1. silhouette.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To profile
pro·file   (prō'fīl')   
n.  
    1. A side view of an object or structure, especially of the human head.

    2. A representation of an object or structure seen from the side. See Synonyms at form.

  1. An outline of an object. See Synonyms at outline.

  2. Degree of exposure to public notice; visibility: preferred to keep a low profile.

  3. A biographical essay presenting the subject's most noteworthy characteristics and achievements.

  4. A formal summary or analysis of data, often in the form of a graph or table, representing distinctive features or characteristics: a psychological profile of a job applicant; a biochemical profile of blood.

  5. Geology A vertical section of soil or rock showing the sequence of the various layers.

tr.v.   pro·filed, pro·fil·ing, pro·files
  1. To draw or shape a profile of.

  2. To produce a profile of.


[Italian profilo, from profilare, to draw in outline : pro-, forward (from Latin prō-; see pro-1) + filare, to draw a line (from Medieval Latin fīlāre, to spin, from Latin fīlum, thread; see gwhī- in Indo-European roots).]
pro'fil·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
(pro)file

  1. in.
    to walk about and show something off; to walk carefully in a way that gets attention. (As if showing one's profile.) : Look at Albert profiling along! What a nerd.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

profile  (n.)
1656, "a drawing of the outline of anything," from It. profilo "a drawing in outline," from profilare "to draw in outline," from pro- "forth" + filare "draw out, spin," from L.L. filare "to spin, draw out a line," from filum "thread." Meaning "biographical sketch, character study" is from 1734. The verb is 1715, "to represent in profile," from the noun. Meaning "to summarize a person in writing" is from 1948. Profiling in the racial/ethnic stereotyping sense is recorded from c.1991.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1pro·file
Pronunciation: 'prO-"fIl
Function: noun
1 : a set of data exhibiting the significant features of somethingand often obtained by multiple tests profile of CK isoenzymes in skeletal muscle —A. J. Siegel & D. M. Dawson>
2 : a graphic representation of theextent to which an individual or group exhibits traits as determined by tests or ratings profile —Diseases of the NervousSystem>

Main Entry: 2profile
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: pro·filed; pro·fil·ing
: to represent in profile or by aprofile : produce a profile of (as by writing or graphing)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

profile pro·file (prō'fīl')
n.

  1. A side view of an object or a structure, especially of the human head.

  2. A formal summary or analysis of data, often in the form of a graph or table, representing distinctive features or characteristics.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Computing Dictionary

PROFILE
Simple language for matching and scoring data. "User's Manual for the PROFILE System", Cambridge Computer Assoc (May 1974).
[The Jargon File]

profile
1. A control file for a program, especially a text file automatically read from each user's home directory and intended to be easily modified by the user in order to customise the program's behaviour. Used to avoid hard-coded choices (see also dot file, rc file).
2. A report on the amounts of time spent in each routine of a program, used to find and tune away the hot spots in it. This sense is often verbed. Some profiling modes report units other than time (such as call counts) and/or report at granularities other than per-routine, but the idea is similar.

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

profile

see keep a low profile.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see profile on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: