delineate

English

Etymology

First attested in 1559; borrowed from Latin dēlīneātus, perfect passive participle of dēlīneo (“to sketch out, to delineate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from dē- + līnea (“line”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Regular participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈlɪniːeɪt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Verb

delineate (third-person singular simple present delineates, present participle delineating, simple past and past participle delineated)

1. To sketch out, draw or trace an outline.
2. To depict, represent with pictures.
3. To describe or depict with words or gestures.
4. To outline or mark out.

Synonyms

• (to mark the limits or boundaries): demark, demarcate, delimit

Derived terms

• delineation
• delineative
• delineator
• delineatory
• nondelineated
• redelineate
• undelineated

Translations

sketch out, draw or trace an outline

• Bulgarian: очертавам (bg) (očertavam)
• Catalan: delinear (ca)
• Dutch: afbakenen (nl)
• Finnish: hahmotella (fi)
• French: délinéer (fr)
• German: umreißen (de)
• Ottoman Turkish: چیزمك (çizmek), چكمك (çekmek)
• Romanian: schița (ro), contura (ro)
• Spanish: delinear (es)
• Swedish: skissera (sv)

depict, represent with pictures

• Bulgarian: скицирам (bg) (skiciram)
• Finnish: kuvata (fi)
• German: skizzieren (de)
• Irish: dreach
• Turkish: resmetmek (tr)

describe or depict with words or gestures

• Bulgarian: обрисувам (bg) (obrisuvam)
• Catalan: descriure (ca)
• Dutch: uiteenzetten (nl), schilderen (nl)
• Finnish: kuvailla (fi)
• French: décrire (fr)
• German: schildern (de)
• Irish: ríomh
• Turkish: betimlemek (tr), tasvir etmek (tr), tarif etmek (tr)

outline or mark out

• Finnish: rajata (fi)
• German: abgrenzen (de)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: aflijnen (nl), uittekenen (nl)
• French: délimiter (fr)
• Interlingua: delinear
• Italian: delineare (it)
• Spanish: delinear (es)

Adjective

delineate (comparative more delineate, superlative most delineate) (obsolete)

1. (as a participle) Delineated, sketched out.
   • 1619, John Bainbridge, An astronomicall description of the late comet from the 18. of Nouemb. 1618. to the 16. of December following:

     That forme which […] is delineate in the planispheare

2. (as a participial adjective) Sketched out, portrayed, described, defined.
   • 1596, [attributed to William Shakespeare; Thomas Kyd], The Raigne of King Edward the Third: […], London: […] [T. Scarlet] for Cuthbert Burby, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

     ſtill do I ſee in Him delineate his mother's viſage.

Further reading

• “delineate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “delineate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

delineate

1. inflection of delineare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

delineate f pl

1. feminine plural of delineato

Latin

Verb

dēlīneāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of dēlīneō

Spanish

Verb

delineate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of delinear combined with te