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contour Definition

con·tour (kän′to̵̅o̅r′)

noun

  1. the outline of a figure, mass, land, etc.
  2. the representation of such an outline

Etymology: Fr < It contorno < LL contornare, to go around < L com-, intens. + tornare, to turn in a lathe: see turn

transitive verb

  1. to make a contour or outline of
  2. to mark contour lines on
  3. to shape or mold to conform to the contour of something a chair contoured to fit the body
  4. to construct (a road, etc.) in accordance with natural contours

adjective

  1. made so as to conform to the shape or outline of something contour sheets for a bed
  2. characterized by the making of furrows along the natural contour lines so as to avoid erosion, as on a hillside contour farming

contour Synonyms

contour

n.

profile, outline, silhouette, shape; see form 1, outline 4. See syn. study at outline.

contour Synonyms

contour

v.

shape, mold, carve; see form 1.

contour Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • undulate: Many authors would liken the rolling sugar fields around Bridgetown to the undulating contours of Dorset or the Cotswolds.
  • hug: Tracks and roads hugged contours and natural landscape features: they fitted in, they became part of the landscape.
  • overlay: Look for topographic association by overlaying contours or shaded relief.

Preposition: for

runway: The noise contour for the existing runway in 2002 is outlined in red but no noise contour is given for that runway in 2017.

Adjective modifier

  • bathymetric: The example shows a magnified portion of the ' displaying bathymetric contours ' image created using the zoom feature.
  • f0: The main acoustic evidence is conveyed by the fundamental frequency or F0 contour.
  • illusory: Or changes in textures have been used by Albrecht Dürer to create illusory contours in his etchings such as Rhinoceros.
  • facial: It can help you to regain your youthful facial features and clear complexion, tighten your facial contours and reduce sagging.
  • melodic: Corporeal manifestations of imagery occur in the form of unconscious finger movements whose patterns correspond to the melodic contour of the imagined piece.
  • smooth: This Oakley art is highlighted by the smooth contour of a single continuous lens.

Modifies a noun

  • advection: Lett. we present the results of contour advection calculations using winds derived from the UK Universities Global Atmospheric Modeling Program ( UGAMP ) model.
  • plot: Figure 8.4: Contour plot of the surface z = x 2 - y 2.
  • interval: The contour interval for this example is 20 meters.
  • map: We supply contour maps to be used with our route notes.
  • line: Building up the map, showing land use or contour lines, you'll end up with a picture similar to below.

Preposition: along

hillside: It drops down to the river and contours along the hillside along the other side of the valley through disturbed temperate forest and shrubbery.

Preposition: of

hillside: The RACC will follow the contours of the hillside.

Noun used with modifier

  • intonation: Rules specify how these elementary pitch movements can be combined to create intonation contours for entire messages.
  • f0: Generating f0 contours for speech synthesis using the tilt intonation theory.
  • noise: An example noise contour plot of road traffic noise in a residential area is shown.