delineate

de·lin·e·ate

 (dĭ-lĭn′ē-āt′)

tr.v. de·lin·e·at·ed, de·lin·e·at·ing, de·lin·e·ates

1.

a. To draw or depict: "In black and white wash, he delineated the gnarled roots of a tree" (Sally Holmes Holtze).

b. To describe or characterize in words: "the specter of the bored and isolated housewife, which Friedan delineated so brilliantly" (Mary V. Dearborn).

2.

a. To mark, form, or show the outline or border of: The police delineated the crime scene with yellow tape. A hedge delineates one plot of land from the other.

b. To establish the position of (a border): The treaty delineates the border between Spanish and American territory.

c. To show or contain a distinguishing characteristic of; distinguish: "The first game ... delineated the differences between the two teams" (Stuart Miller).

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[Latin dēlīneāre, dēlīneāt- : dē-, de- + līnea, line, thread; see line¹.]

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de·lin′e·a′tion n.

de·lin′e·a′tive adj.

de·lin′e·a′tor n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

delineate

(dɪˈlɪnɪˌeɪt)

vb (tr)

1. to trace the shape or outline of; sketch

2. to represent pictorially, as by making a chart or diagram; depict

3. to portray in words, esp with detail and precision; describe

[C16: from Latin dēlīneāre to sketch out, from līnea line¹]

deˈlineable adj

deˌlineˈation n

deˈlineative adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

de•lin•e•ate

(dɪˈlɪn iˌeɪt)

v.t. -at•ed, -at•ing.

1. to trace the outline of; represent pictorially.

2. to portray in words; describe with precision.

[1550–60; < Latin dēlīneātus, past participle of dēlīneāre=dē- de- + līneāre to mark with lines]

de•lin′e•a•ble (-ə bəl) adj.

de•lin′e•a`tor, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

delineate

Past participle: delineated
Gerund: delineating

Imperative

delineate

delineate

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	delineate - show the form or outline of; "The tree was clearly defined by the light"; "The camera could define the smallest object" define show - make visible or noticeable; "She showed her talent for cooking"; "Show me your etchings, please"
	2.	delineate - determine the essential quality of define, delimit, delimitate, specify determine - fix in scope; fix the boundaries of; "the tree determines the border of the property" be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" redefine - give a new or different definition to; "She redefined his duties"
	3.	delineate - trace the shape of limn, outline lipstick - form by tracing with lipstick; "The clown had lipsticked circles on his cheeks" contour - form the contours of draw - represent by making a drawing of, as with a pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface; "She drew an elephant"; "Draw me a horse"
	4.	delineate - make a mark or lines on a surface; "draw a line"; "trace the outline of a figure in the sand" trace, describe, draw, line mark - make or leave a mark on; "the scouts marked the trail"; "ash marked the believers' foreheads" construct - draw with suitable instruments and under specified conditions; "construct an equilateral triangle" inscribe - draw within a figure so as to touch in as many places as possible circumscribe - draw a line around; "He drew a circle around the points" circumscribe - to draw a geometric figure around another figure so that the two are in contact but do not intersect draw - engage in drawing; "He spent the day drawing in the garden" draw - represent by making a drawing of, as with a pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface; "She drew an elephant"; "Draw me a horse" write - mark or trace on a surface; "The artist wrote Chinese characters on a big piece of white paper"; "Russian is written with the Cyrillic alphabet"
	5.	delineate - describe in vivid detail describe, depict, draw - give a description of; "He drew an elaborate plan of attack"
Adj.	1.	delineate - represented accurately or precisely delineated, represented

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

delineate

verb

1. outline, describe, draw, picture, paint, chart, trace, portray, sketch, render, depict, characterize, map out The relationship between Church and State was delineated in a formal agreement.

2. determine, define, chart, map out a settlement to delineate the border

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

delineate

verb

To present a lifelike image of:

depict, describe, express, image, limn, picture, portray, render, represent, show.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

délimiterdélinéer

abbozzaredelinearedisegnarelineare

delineate

[dɪˈlɪnɪeɪt] VT

1. (= draw) [+ outline] → delinear, trazar

2. (= describe) [+ character] → describir, pintar; [+ plans] → trazar

3. (= delimit) → definir

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

delineate

[dɪˈlɪnieɪt] vt

(= define) → définir

(= depict) [+ person, situation] → décrire

(= draw) [+ line] → tracer, esquisser; [+ border] → définir

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

delineate

vt (= draw) → skizzieren; boundary, border → einzeichnen; (= describe) → beschreiben, darstellen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

delineate

[dɪˈlɪnɪˌeɪt] vt (frm) → delineare

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995