Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To draw or depict.
- transitive verb To describe or characterize in words.
- transitive verb To mark, form, or show the outline or border of.
- transitive verb To establish the position of (a border).
- transitive verb To show or contain a distinguishing characteristic of; distinguish.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To exhibit or mark out in lines; sketch or represent in outline: as, to
delineate the form of the earth or a diagram. - To represent pictorially; draw a likeness of; portray; depict.
- To describe; represent to the mind or understanding; exhibit it likeness of in words: as, to
delineate character.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective rare Delineated; portrayed.
- transitive verb To indicate by lines drawn in the form or figure of; to represent by sketch, design, or diagram; to sketch out; to portray; to picture; in drawing and engraving, to represent in lines, as with the pen, pencil, or graver; hence, to represent with accuracy and minuteness. See
delineation . - transitive verb To portray to the mind or understanding by words; to set forth; to describe.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To sketch out, draw or trace an outline.
- verb To depict, represent with pictures.
- verb To describe or depict with words or gestures.
- verb To outline or mark out.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective represented accurately or precisely
- verb make a mark or lines on a surface
- verb describe in vivid detail
- verb show the form or outline of
- verb determine the essential quality of
- verb trace the shape of
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The inability to see is an inability to "delineate": a persistent equation in the novel ( "Over him hung a form which I cannot find words to describe," Walton says [152]).
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Professor has finished measuring, and is preparing to "delineate" me.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 93, September 24, 1887 Various 1876
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So the first order of business at the Trial of Barack Obama was to "delineate" (I think he just meant "delete") the most explosive charges -- treason and sedition -- from the indictment.
News & Politics 2010
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Canada's laws also seem to "delineate" medical quackery and fraud somewhat differently from those in the United States.
Latest Articles Big Journalism 2010
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So the first order of business at the Trial of Barack Obama was to "delineate" (I think he just meant "delete") the most explosive charges -- treason and sedition -- from the indictment.
News & Politics 2010
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That's because the DOT will better "delineate" crosswalks.
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The other two pads Orion proposes would "delineate" where the company might have economic production of natural gas in the area, Harris said.
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Elsewhere I have discussed the importance and volatility of the figure of the body in aesthetic discourse (see Redfield, ch. 2); for present purposes it will suffice to note the emphatically aesthetic vocabulary with which Victor seeks to "delineate" his creature’s monstrosity.
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Tallies of living languages differ widely depending on how evaluators delineate one language from another.
The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010
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Tallies of living languages differ widely depending on how evaluators delineate one language from another.
The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010
seanahan commented on the word delineate
It seems like this word should mean to remove the lines that separate things, and lineate should mean to make draw those lines.
September 2, 2007
mohitanand commented on the word delineate
verb: describe in detail
After a brief summary of proper swimming technique, the coach delineated the specifics of each stroke, spending 30 minutes alone on the backstroke.
October 19, 2016