Wireframe

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A skeletal outline or visual guide representing the structure of a design or object, typically used in digital modeling or interface creation for planning layout and function
2. A simplified, bare-bones diagram that displays the fundamental components and spatial relationships of a design, commonly employed in software development or 3D modeling to organize elements without detailed surface features
3. An abstract representation showing the basic framework and connections of a product or interface, often created in early stages of design to facilitate visualization and discussion before complete rendering

Etymology: "Wireframe" is a plain compound of "wire" and "frame," and its sense has moved from the physical to the abstract. A wire frame is literally a skeleton built from wire, the kind of openwork structure used for shaping lampshades, hats, or models. Its computing sense came from that image: early three-dimensional computer graphics drew objects as bare outlines of connecting lines, so the picture looked like a wire skeleton with no solid surfaces. The modern figurative use extends that same idea beyond computers. A wireframe in design or planning is the bare structural outline of a page, product, or system, showing where the parts sit before colour, detail, or content are added. The word therefore describes a skeleton that is stripped down on purpose, with nothing hidden between its lines.

Synonyms: framework, skeleton, structure, model, outline