outline

English

Etymology

From out +‎ line.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaʊtlaɪn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

outline (plural outlines)

1. A line marking the boundary of an object figure.
2. The outer shape of an object or figure.
   • 1950 March, H. A. Vallance, “On Foot Across the Forth Bridge”, in Railway Magazine, page 149:

     From this point of vantage, we were able to gain an impression of the massive outlines of the main structure, and its intricate maze of girders.

3. A sketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading.
   • 1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, translated by John Dryden, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall for W. Rogers, […], →OCLC:

     Painters, by their outlines, colours, lights, and shadows, represent the same in their pictures.

4. A general description of some subject.
5. A statement summarizing the important points of a text.
6. A preliminary plan for a project.

   the outline of a speech

7. (film) A prose telling of a story intended to be turned into a screenplay; generally longer and more detailed than a treatment.
8. (fishing) A setline or trotline.

Translations

line marking the boundary of an object figure

• Bulgarian: очертание (bg) n (očertanie), контур (bg) m (kontur)
• Catalan: contorn (ca) m
• Czech: obrys m
• Finnish: ääriviiva (fi)
• French: contour (fr) m
• German: Umriss (de) m, Kontur (de)
• Hebrew: קו מתאר m
• Hungarian: körvonal (hu)
• Icelandic: útlínur f pl
• Italian: contorno (it)
• Japanese: (type of lettering form) 中抜き (ja) (uwatsuki)
• Latin: adumbrātiō f
• Maori: hua (mi)
• Occitan: contorn (oc) m
• Ottoman Turkish: چوره (çevre)
• Portuguese: contorno (pt) m
• Romanian: contur (ro) n
• Russian: ко́нтур (ru) m (kóntur), очерта́ние (ru) n (očertánije)
• Spanish: contorno (es)
• Swedish: kontur (sv) c, kantlinje c
• Tagalog: balangkas

outer shape of an object or figure

• Catalan: silueta f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 輪廓／轮廓 (zh) (lúnkuò)

• Dutch: omtrek (nl)
• Finnish: ääriviiva (fi)
• French: silhouette (fr) f
• German: Umriss (de) m
• Hungarian: körvonal (hu)
• Italian: contorno (it)
• Japanese: 外形 (ja) (gaikei), 輪郭 (ja) (rinkaku) (in drawing art)
• Maori: hua (mi)
• Polish: kontur (pl) m
• Portuguese: contorno (pt) m
• Romanian: contur (ro) n
• Russian: ко́нтур (ru) m (kóntur), очерта́ние (ru) n (očertánije)
• Spanish: contorno (es)
• Tagalog: balangkas

sketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading

• Bulgarian: скица (bg) f (skica)
• Catalan: esbós (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 輪廓／轮廓 (zh) (lúnkuò)

• Finnish: ääriviivapiirros
• French: esquisse (fr) f
• German: Skizze (de) f, Skizzierung f, Umrisszeichnung f, Konturenzeichnung f
• Hungarian: vázlat (hu)
• Italian: sagoma (it) f
• Japanese: 輪郭描写 (rinkaku-byōsha)
• Maori: hua (mi)
• Polish: kontur (pl) m
• Portuguese: esboço (pt) m
• Romanian: schiță (ro) f
• Russian: набро́сок (ru) m (nabrósok)
• Spanish: esbozo (es) m, croquis (es) m, bosquejo (es) m
• Tagalog: balangkas

general description of some subject

• Bulgarian: схема (bg) f (shema)
• Catalan: visió general
• Finnish: yleiskuvaus
• French: aperçu (fr) m
• German: Beschreibung (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient: περιγραφή f (perigraphḗ)

• Italian: descrizione (it) f
• Japanese: 概略 (ja) (gairyaku), 概要 (ja) (gaiyō)
• Persian: شمای کلی
• Portuguese: resumo (pt) m
• Scots: ootline
• Spanish: esquema (es) f, croquis (es) m, boceto (es) m
• Tagalog: balangkas

statement summarizing the important points of a text

• Catalan: resum (ca) m
• Finnish: yhteenveto (fi)
• French: résumé (fr) m
• German: Zusammenfassung (de) f
• Hebrew: תמצית (he) f
• Italian: sunto (it) m
• Japanese: 主旨 (ja) (shushi), 要旨 (ja) (yōshi)
• Polish: konspekt (pl) m
• Portuguese: resumo (pt) m, sinopse (pt) f
• Spanish: resumen (es) m, esquema (es) f, croquis (es) m, boceto (es) m
• Tagalog: balangkas

preliminary plan of a project

• Bulgarian: план (bg) m (plan), проект (bg) m (proekt)
• Catalan: esborrany (ca) m
• Finnish: hahmotelma (fi), suuntaviivat pl
• French: ébauche (fr) f
• German: Entwurf (de) m
• Hebrew: מתאר m, תוואי m
• Hungarian: körvonal (hu)
• Italian: bozza (it) f
• Japanese: 概要 (ja) (gaiyō)
• Polish: szkic (pl) m, zarys (pl) m, abrys (pl) m
• Portuguese: esboço (pt) m
• Tagalog: balangkas

(film industry) a prose telling of a story intended to be turned into a screenplay

• Finnish: juoni (fi)
• French: synopsis (fr) m or f
• Japanese: あらまし (ja) (aramashi), 荒筋 (あらすじ, arasuji), 粗筋 (ja) (あらすじ, arasuji)

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

• Irish: ^{(please verify)} imchruth m

See also

• silhouette

Verb

outline (third-person singular simple present outlines, present participle outlining, simple past and past participle outlined)

1. (transitive) To draw an outline of.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     He stood transfixed before the unaccustomed view of London at night time, a vast panorama which reminded him […] of some wood engravings far off and magical, in a printshop in his childhood. They dated from the previous century and were coarsely printed on tinted paper, with tinsel outlining the design.

3. (transitive) To summarize.

   Wikipedia items featuring books usually outline them after giving their background.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.

5. (transitive, software compilation) To optimize for size by replacing repeated code fragments with function calls.

   Synonym: reverse inline

   Coordinate term: inline

Translations

to draw an outline of something

• Arabic: لَخَّصَ (laḵḵaṣa), اِخْتَصَرَ (ar) (iḵtaṣara)
• Bulgarian: скицирам (bg) (skiciram)
• Catalan: perfilar (ca)
• Finnish: hahmotella (fi)
• French: entourer (fr)
• German: umreißen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: περιγράφω (perigráphō)

• Hungarian: körvonalaz (hu)
• Italian: contornare (it), delineare (it)
• Maori: huahua
• Polish: obrysowywać impf, obrysować pf
• Russian: обрисо́вывать (ru) impf (obrisóvyvatʹ), обрисова́ть (ru) pf (obrisovátʹ), оче́рчивать (ru) impf (očérčivatʹ), очерти́ть (ru) pf (očertítʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: konturirati, ocrtati (sh)
• Spanish: delinear (es)
• Ukrainian: обрисо́вувати impf (obrysóvuvaty), обрисува́ти pf (obrysuváty), окре́слювати impf (okrésljuvaty), окре́слити pf (okréslyty)

to summarize something

• Bulgarian: очертавам (bg) (očertavam)
• Catalan: resumir (ca)
• Finnish: vetää yhteen
• German: zusammenfassen (de)
• Hungarian: körvonalaz (hu)
• Italian: riassumere (it), illustrare (it)
• Russian: опи́сывать (ru) impf (opísyvatʹ), описа́ть (ru) pf (opisátʹ) (в общих чертах - v óbščix čertáx)
• Serbo-Croatian: opisati (sh)
• Spanish: resumir (es), bocetear, abocetar (es), bocetar, esquematizar (es)

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

• French: ^{(please verify)} esquisser (fr) (1), ^{(please verify)} résumer (fr) (2)

Anagrams

• elution, line out, line-out, lineout