| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| design |
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| SYLLABICATION: | de·sign |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  d -z n |
| VERB: | Inflected forms: de·signed, de·sign·ing, de·signs
| | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1a. To conceive or fashion in the mind; invent: design a good excuse for not attending the conference. b. To formulate a plan for; devise: designed a marketing strategy for the new product. 2. To plan out in systematic, usually graphic form: design a building; design a computer program. 3. To create or contrive for a particular purpose or effect: a game designed to appeal to all ages. 4. To have as a goal or purpose; intend. 5. To create or execute in an artistic or highly skilled manner. | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To make or execute plans. 2. To have a goal or purpose in mind. 3. To create designs. | | NOUN: | 1a. A drawing or sketch. b. A graphic representation, especially a detailed plan for construction or manufacture. 2. The purposeful or inventive arrangement of parts or details: the aerodynamic design of an automobile; furniture of simple but elegant design. 3. The art or practice of designing or making designs. 4. Something designed, especially a decorative or an artistic work. 5. An ornamental pattern. See synonyms at figure. 6. A basic scheme or pattern that affects and controls function or development: the overall design of an epic poem. 7. A plan; a project. See synonyms at plan. 8a. A reasoned purpose; an intent: It was her design to set up practice on her own as soon as she was qualified. b. Deliberate intention: He became a photographer more by accident than by design. 9. A secretive plot or scheme. Often used in the plural: He has designs on my job. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English designen, from Latin d sign re, to designate. See designate. | | OTHER FORMS: | de·signa·ble —ADJECTIVE
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| 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. |
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