Nearby Words

profiles

[proh-fahyl] Origin

pro·file

[proh-fahyl] noun, verb, -filed, -fil·ing.
noun
1.
the outline or contour of the human face, especially 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.
EXPAND
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.
COLLAPSE
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.

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Profiles is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

Origin:
1650–60; (noun) < Italian prof(f)ilo, noun derivative of profilare to delineate, outline, equivalent to pro- pro-1 + -filare, derivative of filo line, thread < Latin fīlum

pro·fil·er, noun
half-pro·file, noun


1. silhouette.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

profile
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
EXPAND
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.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
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.
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Slang Dictionary

(pro)file definition


  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.
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