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.
   • 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:

     Bellmark delineated the space and began to dig. After clearing to about a foot deep he paused.

2. To depict, represent with pictures.
3. To describe or depict with words or gestures.
4. (figurative) To outline or mark out.

Synonyms

• (to mark the limits or boundaries): mark out, 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)
• Italian: delineare (it)
• Portuguese: delinear (pt)
• Romanian: schița (ro), contura (ro)
• Spanish: delinear (es)
• Swedish: skissera (sv)
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: چیزمك (çizmek), چكمك (çekmek)

depict, represent with pictures

• Bulgarian: скицирам (bg) (skiciram)
• Catalan: traçar (ca)
• 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)

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 Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “delineate”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], 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