From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Figurate \Fig"ur*ate\, adjective [L. figuratus, p. p. of figurare. See {Figure}.]
1. Of a definite form or figure.
Plants are all figurate and determinate, which inanimate bodies are not. --Bacon.
2. Figurative; metaphorical. [Obs.] --Bale.
3. (Mus.) Florid; figurative; involving passing discords by the freer melodic movement of one or more parts or voices in the harmony; as, figurate counterpoint or descant.
{Figurate counterpoint} or {Figurate descant} (Mus.), that which is not simple, or in which the parts do not move together tone for tone, but in which freer movement of one or more parts mingles passing discords with the harmony; -- called also {figural}, {figurative}, and {figured counterpoint} or {descant} (although the term figured is more commonly applied to a bass with numerals written above or below to indicate the other notes of the harmony).
{Figurate numbers} (Math.), numbers, or series of numbers, formed from any arithmetical progression in which the first term is a unit, and the difference a whole number, by taking the first term, and the sums of the first two, first three, first four, etc., as the successive terms of a new series, from which another may be formed in the same manner, and so on, the numbers in the resulting series being such that points representing them are capable of symmetrical arrangement in different geometrical figures, as triangles, squares, pentagons, etc.
Note: In the following example, the two lower lines are composed of figurate numbers, those in the second line being triangular, and represented thus: . 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. . . . 1, 3, 6, 10, etc. . . . . . . . etc. 1, 4, 10, 20, etc . . . . . . . . . . . .
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Figurative \Fig"ur*a*tive\, adjective [L. figurativus: cf. F. figuratif. See {Figurative}.]
1. Representing by a figure, or by resemblance; typical; representative.
This, they will say, was figurative, and served, by God's appointment, but for a time, to shadow out the true glory of a more divine sanctity. --Hooker.
2. Used in a sense that is tropical, as a metaphor; not literal; -- applied to words and expressions.
3. Abounding in figures of speech; flowery; florid; as, a highly figurative description.
4. Relating to the representation of form or figure by drawing, carving, etc. See {Figure}, noun, 2.
They belonged to a nation dedicated to the figurative arts, and they wrote for a public familiar with painted form. --J. A. Symonds.
{Figurative counterpoint} or {Figurative descant}. See under {Figurate}. -- {Fig"ur*a*tive*ly}, adverb -- {Fig"ur*a*tive*ness}, noun
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
adjective
1: (used of the meanings of words or text) not literal; using figures of speech; "figurative language" [syn: {nonliteral}] [ant: {literal}]
2: consisting of or forming human or animal figures; "a figural design"; "the figurative art of the humanistic tradition"- Herbert Read [syn: {figural}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
147 Moby Thesaurus words for "figurative": adorned, algorismic, algorithmic, aliquot, allegoric, allegorical, allusive, anagogic, apish, associational, befrilled, cardinal, colored, connotational, connotative, decimal, decorated, definable, delineatory, demonstrative, denominative, denotational, denotative, depictive, designative, diagnostic, differential, digital, echoic, embellished, emblematic, embodying, embroidered, even, evidential, exhibitive, exponential, expressive, extended, extensional, fancy, festooned, figural, figurate, figured, finite, florid, flowery, fractional, full of meaning, full of point, full of substance, graphic, identifying, ideographic, idiosyncratic, illustrational, illustrative, imaginary, imitative, impair, implicative, impossible, incarnating, indicating, indicative, indicatory, individual, infinite, integral, intelligible, intensional, interpretable, irrational, limning, logarithmic, logometric, lush, luxuriant, mannered, meaning, meaningful, meaty, metaphorical, mimetic, mimish, naming, negative, numeral, numerary, numerative, numeric, odd, onomatopoeic, ordinal, ornamented, ornate, overcharged, overloaded, pair, pathognomonic, peculiar, personifying, pictographic, pictorial, pithy, pointed, portraying, positive, possible, pregnant, prime, purple, radical, rational, readable, real, reciprocal, referential, representational, representative, representing, semantic, semiotic, sententious, signalizing, significant, significative, signifying, simulative, submultiple, substantial, suggestive, surd, symbolic, symbolistic, symbolizing, symbological, symptomatic, symptomatologic, transcendental, transferred, trolatitious, tropological, typical, typifying, vivid
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