description

English

Etymology

From Old French description, from Latin dēscrīptiō, noun of action of dēscrībō (“I describe”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈskɹɪpʃən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

description (countable and uncountable, plural descriptions)

1. A sketch or account of anything in words; a portraiture or representation in language; an enumeration of the essential qualities of a thing or species.
2. The act of describing; a delineation by marks or signs.
3. A set of characteristics by which someone or something can be recognized.

   The zoo had no lions, tigers, or cats of any description.

4. (taxonomy) A scientific documentation of a taxon for the purpose of introducing it to science.

   The type description of the fungus was written by a botanist.

Synonyms

• (characteristics): sort, kind, type, variety

Related terms

• describe
• descriptive

Translations

account in words

• Arabic: وَصْف‎ m (waṣf)
• Armenian: նկարագրություն (hy) (nkaragrutʿyun)
• Belarusian: апісанне n (apisánnje)
• Bulgarian: описание (bg) n (opisanie)
• Catalan: descripció (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 描寫 (zh), 描写 (zh) (miáoxiě), 描述 (zh) (miáoshù)

• Czech: popis (cs) m
• Danish: beskrivelse (da)
• Dutch: beschrijving (nl) f
• Esperanto: priskribo
• Estonian: (1) ^{(please verify)} kirjeldus, (2) ^{(please verify)} kirjeldamine
• Finnish: kuvaus (fi), selitys (fi)
• French: description (fr) f
• German: Beschreibung (de) f
• Greek: περιγραφή (el) f (perigrafí)

  Ancient: ἔκφρασις f (ékphrasis), περιήγησις f (periḗgēsis)

• Hebrew: תיאור‎ (he) m (ti'ur)
• Hungarian: leírás (hu)
• Ido: deskripto (io)
• Indonesian: deskripsi (id)
• Italian: descrizione (it) f
• Japanese: 記述 (ja) (きじゅつ, kijutsu), 説明 (ja) (せつめい, setsumei), 描写 (ja) (びょうしゃ, byōsha)
• Khmer: ពិពណ៌នា (km), ពណ៌នា (km), ព្យាករណ៍ (km)
• Korean: 묘사 (ko) (myosa), 기술 (ko) (gisul), 서술 (ko) (seosul), 설명 (ko) (seolmyeong), 기재 (ko) (gijae)

• Ladino: deskripsion f
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latvian: attēlojums m, apraksts m
• Lithuanian: (1) aprašymas (lt), (2) apibūdinimas
• Maori: whakaahuatanga
• Meänkieli: kuvvailu
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Moroccan Amazigh: ⴰⴳⵍⴰⵎ m (Aglam)
• Occitan: descripcion (oc)
• Persian: توصیف‎ (fa)
• Polish: opis (pl) m
• Portuguese: descrição (pt) f
• Romanian: descripție (ro), descriere (ro)
• Russian: описа́ние (ru) n (opisánije)
• Scots: descreeption
• Scottish Gaelic: tuairisgeul m
• Slovak: popis m
• Spanish: descripción (es) f
• Swedish: beskrivning (sv) c
• Telugu: వర్ణన (te) (varṇana)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: tanım (tr), tavsif (tr)
• Ukrainian: о́пис m (ópys)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

characteristics

• Bulgarian: описание (bg) n (opisanie)
• French: signalement (fr)
• Hungarian: leírás (hu), személyleírás (hu)
• Irish: comharthaí m pl, comharthaí aithne m pl, comharthaí sóirt m pl
• Russian: описа́ние (ru) n (opisánije)

• Scottish Gaelic: tuairisgeul m
• Spanish: señalamiento
• Swedish: signalement (sv)
• Turkish: vasif

Further reading

• description in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• description in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

See also

• synopsis
• interpretation

Anagrams

• discerption, predictions

---

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dēscriptiō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɛs.kʁip.sjɔ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophone: descriptions

Noun

description f (plural descriptions)

1. description

Related terms

• décrire
• descriptif

Further reading

• “description” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

---

Old French

Etymology

From Latin dēscriptiō.

Noun

description f (oblique plural descriptions, nominative singular description, nominative plural descriptions)

1. description

Related terms

• descrivre