contorno

See also: contornò and contôrno

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Italian con-

Proto-Indo-European *terh₁-der.

Ancient Greek τόρνος (tórnos)bor.

Latin tornus

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Latin tornō

Italian tornare

Italian contornaredeverb.

Italian contornobor.

English contorno

Borrowed from Italian contorno.

Noun

contorno (plural contorni)

1. (art) contour; outline
   • 1798, James Barry, Observations on different works of art in France and Italy:

     […] the parts within the contorno are drawn by the incisions of the graver […]

2. (usually in the plural, in Italian cuisine) A side dish, typically of vegetables.

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /konˈtor.no/
• Rhymes: -orno
• Hyphenation: con‧tór‧no

Etymology 1

Deverbal from contornare.

Noun

contorno m (plural contorni)

1. contour, outline
2. (side dish, usually in the plural) vegetables (when served with a meal)
3. environ

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

contorno

1. first-person singular present indicative of contornare

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Deverbal from contornar.

Alternative forms

• contôrno (pre-reform spelling)

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kõˈtoʁ.nu/ [kõˈtoɦ.nu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kõˈtoʁ.nu/ [kõˈtoɦ.nu]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /kõˈtoɾ.nu/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /kõˈtoʁ.nu/
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /kõˈtoɻ.nu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /kõˈtoʁ.no/ [kõˈtoɦ.no]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kõˈtoɾ.nu/

Noun

contorno m (plural contornos, metaphonic)

1. contour, outline
2. (Brazil) ring road; beltway (highway encircling a city)
3. contouring (makeup technique)

Usage notes

• The plural is always metaphonic in Portugal, but usually not in Brazil.

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kõˈtɔʁ.nu/ [kõˈtɔɦ.nu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kõˈtɔʁ.nu/ [kõˈtɔɦ.nu]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /kõˈtɔɾ.nu/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /kõˈtɔʁ.nu/
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /kõˈtɔɻ.nu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /kõˈtɔʁ.no/ [kõˈtɔɦ.no]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kõˈtɔɾ.nu/

Verb

contorno

1. first-person singular present indicative of contornar

Further reading

• “contorno”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “contorno”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “contorno”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /konˈtoɾno/ [kõn̪ˈt̪oɾ.no]
• Rhymes: -oɾno
• Syllabification: con‧tor‧no

Etymology 1

From con- +‎ torno.

Noun

contorno m (plural contornos)

1. contour, outline, boundary
2. girth

Etymology 2

Verb

contorno

1. first-person singular present indicative of contornar

Further reading

• “contorno”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025