Figurativize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To render or express in a symbolic, metaphorical, or non-literal form; to transform something into a figure or representation; to adopt a style or mode characterized by figures or imagery
2. To convert concepts or statements into an abstract or imaginative illustration; to depict ideas through symbolic or suggestive means; to employ or assign shapes and imagery in communication
3. To make an expression less direct by using figures of speech; to shape or fashion content into a figure-like or emblematic form; to incorporate artistic or symbolic elements into representation

Etymology: "Figure" came into English through Old French from Latin "figura," meaning shape or form, and the Latin verb "figurare" meant to shape or represent something. The adjective "figurative" comes from the Latin "figurativus," describing language that uses an image or shape in place of its plain sense. The suffix "-ize," which descends from Greek "-izein" through Latin "-izare," turns the adjective into a verb meaning to put something into figurative form. The word is a plain derivative built from English parts, so its history is that of those parts.

Synonyms: symbolize, metaphorize, represent

Antonyms: literalize, denote