describe

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English descriven, from Old French descrivre, from Latin dēscrībō (“to copy off, transcribe, sketch off, describe in painting or writing”), from dē (“off”) + scrībō (“write”); see scribe and shrive. Displaced native Old English āmearcian. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /dɪˈskɹaɪb/, /dəˈskɹaɪb/ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): [dɪˈskɹaɪ̯b] (US) IPA(key): [dɪˈskɹaɪ̯b], [dɪˈskɹɑɪ̯b] (Canada) IPA(key): [dɪˈskɹaɪ̯b], [dɪˈskɹəjb] (General Australian) IPA(key): [dɪˈskɹɑɪ̯b] (Standard Southern British) IPA(key): [dɪˈskɹɑjb] Rhymes: -aɪb Hyphenation: de‧scribe === Verb === describe (third-person singular simple present describes, present participle describing, simple past and past participle described) (transitive) To represent in words. (transitive) To represent by drawing; to draw a plan of; to delineate; to trace or mark out. (transitive, mathematics) To give rise to a geometrical structure. (transitive, taxonomy) To introduce a new taxon to science by explaining its characteristics and particularly how it differs from other taxa. (obsolete, transitive) To distribute into parts, groups, or classes; to mark off; to class. ==== Synonyms ==== (to represent in words): portray, betell, depict, report; see also Thesaurus:describe (to represent in writing): bewrite ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== Further reading ==== “describe”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “describe”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. === Anagrams === escribed == Galician == === Verb === describe inflection of describir: third-person singular present indicative second-person singular imperative == Latin == === Verb === dēscrībe second-person singular present active imperative of dēscrībō == Scots == === Etymology === From English describe. === Verb === describe (third-person singular simple present describes, present participle describin, simple past and past participle describit) to describe == Spanish == === Verb === describe inflection of describir: third-person singular present indicative second-person singular imperative