contour

CEFRB2

/ˈkɒntɔː/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
noun
The outer shape or line of something.
02
noun
Extra detail
A line on a map or chart delineating those points which have the same altitude or other plotted quantity: a contour line or isopleth; (metonymically) the landform or its surface.

Examples

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Deep Dive

Extra meanings

a speech sound which behaves as a single segment, but which makes an internal transition from one quality, place, or manner to another.
An outline, boundary or border, usually of curved shape.
A general description giving the most important points.

In context

The semi-streamlined contour of the earlier G.W.R. railcars has been given up in favour of a more utilitarian blunt-nose end, and effective floor space gained thereby.
Contours of a deal with conservative holdouts who had been blocking McCarthy’s rise had emerged the night before, and took hold after four dismal days and 14 failed votes in an intraparty standoff unseen in modern times.
What is the French-preferred method to add dimension to the skin, if not to contour?

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Question 1 · Quick check

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The word in print, with each source given in full.

The semi-streamlined contour of the earlier G.W.R. railcars has been given up in favour of a more utilitarian blunt-nose end, and effective floor space gained thereby.
1941 October, “Notes and News: Great Western Parcels Railcar”, in Railway Magazine, page 474
Contours of a deal with conservative holdouts who had been blocking McCarthy’s rise had emerged the night before, and took hold after four dismal days and 14 failed votes in an intraparty standoff unseen in modern times.
January 7 2023, Lisa Mascaro, Farnoush Amiri, “McCarthy elected House speaker in rowdy post-midnight vote”, in AP News
What is the French-preferred method to add dimension to the skin, if not to contour?
2015 April 29, Kathleen Hou, “Why French Women Don’t Contour”, in The Cut, New York, U.S.A.: Vox Media, retrieved 02 Jul 2020
But the bill will exact a heavy cost — one that will complicate its prospects even if it passes the full House this week and will contour the political climate ahead of 2026 midterm elections.
2025 May 19, Stephen Collinson, “A double challenge is putting Trump’s credibility on the line”, in CNN Politics, CNN

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Borrowed from French contour, from contourner, equivalent to con- + tour.