description

[dih-skrip-shuhn]

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noun

a statement, picture in words, or account that describes; descriptive representation.
the act or method of describing.
sort; kind; variety: dogs of every description.

Geometry. the act or process of describing a figure.

Origin of description

1300–50; Middle English descripcioun < Latin dēscrīptiōn- (stem of dēscrīptiō), equivalent to dēscrīpt(us) (past participle of dēscrībere to describe) + -iōn- -ion

Related formspre·de·scrip·tion, nounre·de·scrip·tion, nounself-de·scrip·tion, noun

Synonyms for description

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3. species; nature, character, condition; ilk.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for descriptions

definition, sketch, confession, picture, narration, explanation, detail, summary, depiction, information, version, tale, statement, narrative, report, portrayal, story, characterization, sort, character

Examples from the Web for descriptions

Contemporary Examples of descriptions

Issy did not consent to these descriptions, nor could she defend herself.
The Mommy Blogger Who Tried to Kill Her Autistic Daughter Talks to Dr. Phil
Elizabeth Picciuto
October 1, 2014
There are no descriptions, just a flier handed out at the entrance with a brief overview of each piece.
The Dark Rock Star Fantasy of Saint Laurent’s Hedi Slimane
Liza Foreman
September 24, 2014
Bob Kaiser, chief of tropical diseases at the CDC, was stumped by the descriptions of the fever.
The Original Ebola Hunter
Abby Haglage
September 14, 2014
Some of the descriptions were so exact that, as a dress historian, I knew what they were talking about.
The Venetian Nuns Who Ditched Their Habits for High Fashion
Liza Foreman
September 14, 2014
He interviewed those involved separately and cross-referenced their descriptions of what happened.
Knocking on Heaven's Door: True Stories of Unexplained, Uncanny Experiences at the Hour of Death
Patricia Pearson
August 11, 2014

Historical Examples of descriptions

He made quite a good picture of you in one of them, drawn from my descriptions.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
But you can tell me so much more about them than I can tell you, that why should I tire you with my accounts and descriptions?
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
The descriptions of these old rectory-houses are interesting.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield
Besides this, a great many other descriptions are spun there.
Bremen Cotton Exchange
Andreas Wilhelm Cramer
Many sermons have been filled with descriptions of celestial or infernal mansions.
Phaedo
Plato

British Dictionary definitions for descriptions

description

noun

a statement or account that describes; representation in words
the act, process, or technique of describing
sort, kind, or varietyreptiles of every description
geometry the act of drawing a line or figure, such as an arc
philosophy a noun phrase containing a predicate that may replace a name as the subject of a sentence

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

Word Origin and History for descriptions

description

late 14c., from Old French description (12c.) and directly from Latin descriptionem (nominative descriptio) "representation, description, copy," noun of action from past participle stem of describere "write down, transcribe, copy, sketch," from de- "down" (see de-) + scribere "write" (see script (n.)).

Idioms and Phrases with descriptions

description

see beggar description.