figuration

[ fig-yuh-rey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for figuration on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of shaping into a particular figure.

  2. the resulting figure or shape: emblematic figurations of the sun and the moon.

  1. the act of representing figuratively.

  2. a figurative representation: allegorical figurations.

  3. the act of marking or adorning with a design.

  4. Music.

    • the employment of passing notes or other embellishments.

    • the figuring of a bass part.

Origin of figuration

1
1400–50; late Middle English figuracioun <Latin figūrātiōn- (stem of figūrātiō ) “a shaping” (see figure) + -ion

Words Nearby figuration

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use figuration in a sentence

  • The figuration of the main hatch showed a small square, and there was a companion or hatch-cover abaft the mainmast.

    The Frozen Pirate | W. Clark Russell
  • I stared earnestly at the rocky slopes on either hand, but could not have sworn their figuration was changed.

    The Frozen Pirate | W. Clark Russell

British Dictionary definitions for figuration

figuration

/ (ˌfɪɡəˈreɪʃən) /


noun
  1. music

    • the employment of characteristic patterns of notes, esp in variations on a theme

    • decoration or florid ornamentation in general

  2. the act or an instance of representing figuratively, as by means of allegory or emblem

  1. a figurative or emblematic representation

  2. the act of decorating with a design

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012