| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
| |
| figure |
| |
| SYLLABICATION: | fig·ure |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  f g y r |
| NOUN: | 1a. A written or printed symbol representing something other than a letter, especially a number. b. figures Mathematical calculations: good at figures. c. An amount represented in numbers: sold for a large figure. 2a. Mathematics A geometric form consisting of any combination of points, lines, or planes: A triangle is a plane figure. b. The outline, form, or silhouette of a thing. c. The shape or form of a human body. d. An indistinct object or shape: saw figures dashing down the street. 3a. A person, especially a well-known one: a famous historical figure. b. A person's public image or presence: became a tragic figure overnight. 4. Impression or appearance made: cuts a dashing figure. 5. A person, animal, or object that symbolizes something. 6. A pictorial or sculptural representation, especially of the human body. 7a. A diagram. b. A design or pattern, as in a textile: silk with a paisley figure. 8. An illustration printed from an engraved plate or block. 9a. A configuration or distinct group of steps in a dance. b. A pattern traced by a series of movements, as in ice skating. 10. Music A brief melodic or harmonic unit often constituting the basis of a larger phrase or structure. 11. Logic Any one of the forms that a syllogism can take, depending on the position of the middle term. | | VERB: | Inflected forms: fig·ured, fig·ur·ing, fig·ures
| | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. Mathematics To calculate with numbers. 2. To make a likeness of; depict. 3. To adorn with a design or figures. 4. Music a. To write a sequence of conventionalized numbers below or above (the bass line) to indicate harmony. b. To embellish with an ornamental pattern. 5. Informal a. To conclude, believe, or predict: I never figured that this would happen. b. To consider or regard: figured them as con artists. | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. Mathematics To calculate; compute. 2a. To be or seem important or prominent. b. To be pertinent or involved: politicians who figured in the scandal. 3. Informal To seem reasonable or expected: It figures. | | PHRASAL VERBS: | figure in To include, as in making an account: figured in travel expenses. figure on Informal 1. To depend on: We figured on your support. 2. To take into consideration; expect: I figured on an hour's delay. 3. To plan: We figure on leaving at noon. figure out Informal 1. To discover or decide: Let's figure out a way to help. 2. To solve or decipher: Can you figure out this puzzle? | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, from Old French, from Latin fig ra. See dheigh- in Appendix I. | | OTHER FORMS: | figur·er —NOUN
| | SYNONYMS: | figure, design, device, motif, pattern These nouns denote an element or a component in a decorative composition: a tapestry with a floral figure; a rug with a geometric design; a brooch with a fanciful and intricate device; a scarf with a heart motif; fabric with a plaid pattern. See also synonyms at calculate, form.
| | |
| |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
|
|
