What does shape mean?

What does shape mean?. The world's largest and most trusted free online dictionary: definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more.

What does shape mean? - The Free Dictionary

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[n] any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)(he could barely make out their shapes)[v] shape or influence; give direction to(experience often determines ability mold public opinion)[n] the spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance(geometry is the math

shape

shape - The Free Dictionary

[n] any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
(he could barely make out their shapes)

[v] shape or influence; give direction to
(experience often determines ability mold public opinion)

[n] the spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance
(geometry is the mathematical science of shape)

[v] make something, usually for a specific function
(She molded the rice balls carefully Form cylinders from the dough shape a figure Work the metal into a sword)

[n] alternative names for the body of a human being
(Leonardo studied the human body he has a strong physique the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak)

[v] give shape or form to
(shape the dough form the young child's character)

[n] a concrete representation of an otherwise nebulous concept
(a circle was the embodiment of his concept of life)

[n] the visual appearance of something or someone
(the delicate cast of his features)

[n] the state of (good) health (especially in the phrases `in condition' or `in shape' or `out of condition' or `out of shape')

[n] the supreme headquarters that advises NATO on military matters and oversees all aspects of the Allied Command Europe

[n] a perceptual structure
(the composition presents problems for students of musical form a visual pattern must include not only objects but the spaces between them)

Other vocabulary

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Dictionary

A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, pronunciations, translation, etc. It is a lexicographical reference that shows inter-relationships among the data.

A broad distinction is made between general and specialized dictionaries. Specialized dictionaries include words in specialist fields, rather than a complete range of words in the language. Lexical items that describe concepts in specific fields are usually called terms instead of words, although there is no consensus whether lexicology and terminology are two different fields of study. In theory, general dictionaries are supposed[citation needed] to be semasiological, mapping word to definition, while specialized dictionaries are supposed to be onomasiological, first identifying concepts and then establishing the terms used to designate them. In practice, the two approaches are used for both types. There are other types of dictionaries that do not fit neatly into the above distinction, for instance bilingual (translation) dictionaries, dictionaries of synonyms (thesauri), and rhyming dictionaries. The word dictionary (unqualified) is usually understood to refer to a general purpose monolingual dictionary.

There is also a contrast between prescriptive or descriptive dictionaries; the former reflect what is seen as correct use of the language while the latter reflect recorded actual use. Stylistic indications (e.g. "informal" or "vulgar") in many modern dictionaries are also considered by some to be less than objectively descriptive.

The first recorded dictionaries date back to Sumerian times around 2300 BCE, in the form of bilingual dictionaries, and the oldest surviving monolingual dictionaries are Chinese dictionaries c. 3rd century BCE. The first purely English alphabetical dictionary was A Table Alphabeticall, written in 1604, and monolingual dictionaries in other languages also began appearing in Europe at around this time. The systematic study of dictionaries as objects of scientific interest arose as a 20th-century enterprise, called lexicography, and largely initiated by Ladislav Zgusta. The birth of the new discipline was not without controversy, with the practical dictionary-makers being sometimes accused by others of having an "astonishing" lack of method and critical-self reflection.