contour

English

The picture in the lower half shows the contours of elevation of the mountains above. The points on a single curve are at same elevation. Different lines may be at different elevation whose value is given in between the lines

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkɒntʊə(r)/

Etymology

From Italian contorno.

Noun

contour (plural contours)

1. An outline, boundary or border, usually of curved shape.

   The low drag contour of a modern automobile.

2. A line on a map or chart delineating those points which have the same altitude or other plotted quantity: a contour line or isopleth.
3. (linguistics) a speech sound which behaves as a single segment, but which makes an internal transition from one quality, place, or manner to another.

Hyponyms

• (speech sound): diphthong, contour tone, affricate

Translations

A curved shape

• Bulgarian: очертание (bg) (očertanie) n
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 輪廓 (cmn), 轮廓 (cmn) (lúnkuò)

• Finnish: ääriviiva (fi)
• French: contour (fr) m
• German: Kontur (de) f

• Italian: contorno (it) m
• Japanese: 輪郭 (ja) (りんかく, rinkaku)
• Malay: kontur (ms)
• Portuguese: contorno (pt) m
• Russian: контур (ru) (kóntur) m, очертание (ru) (očertánije) n

A line on a map or chart delineating those points which have the same altitude or other plotted quantity

• Bulgarian: контур (bg) (kontur) m
• Finnish: korkeuskäyrä (fi)

• Malay: garisan kontur (ms)
• Russian: контур (ru) (kóntur) m, очертание (ru) (očertánije) n

See also

• Appendix:Contours

Anagrams

• crouton