Descriptions

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A series of articulations that explain the attributes, nature, or significance of a subject
2. An arrangement of terms that captures the essential qualities, traits, or details pertaining to an object or concept
3. A group of statements giving details and characteristics about a topic

Etymology: "Descriptions" is the plural of "description," the form of the word that names the act or products of describing something. The noun traces back to Latin "dēscrīptiō," the action noun formed from "dēscrībere," meaning "to describe," which combined "dē-" (down, off, or completely) with "scrībere" (to write). In Latin, then, describing was essentially a matter of writing something out or marking it down, and the same idea of tracing lines and outlines persists in the verb. The noun passed into English through Old French "description," which kept the Latin sense of a written or spoken account. Middle English then adopted it as "descripcioun," and the word settled into its current meaning of a set of statements that characterize or explain something.

Synonyms: depictions, portrayals, accounts, explanations, narratives

Antonyms: misrepresentations, obfuscations