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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Contour \Con*tour"\, noun [F. contour, fr. contourner to mark the outlines; con- + tourner to turn. See {Turn}.]
1. The outline of a figure or body, or the line or lines representing such an outline; the line that bounds; periphery.
Titian's coloring and contours. --A. Drummond.
2. (Mil.) The outline of a horizontal section of the ground, or of works of fortification.
{Contour feathers} (Zo["o]l.), those feathers that form the general covering of a bird.
{Contour of ground} (Surv.), the outline of the surface of ground with respect to its undulation, etc.
{Contour line} (Topographical Suv.), the line in which a horizontal plane intersects a portion of ground, or the corresponding line in a map or chart. ||
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
contour
noun
1: a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height [syn: {contour line}]
2: any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline); "he could barely make out their shapes through the smoke" [syn: {shape}, {form}, {configuration}, {conformation}]
3: a feature (or the order or arrangement of features) of anything having a complex structure; "the contours of the melody"; "it defines a major contour of this administration"
verb: form the contours of
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
23 Moby Thesaurus words for "contour": broad lines, configuration, delineate, delineation, features, figuration, figure, framework, galbe, gestalt, limn, line, lineaments, lineation, lines, main features, outline, profile, relief, shapes, silhouette, skeleton, tournure
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |