con|tour

con|tour «KON tur», noun, adjective, verb.

–n.

1. the outline of a figure: »

The contour of the Atlantic coast of America is very irregular.

SYNONYM(S): See syn. under outline. (Cf. ↑outline)

2. the line that defines or bounds anything: »

the subtle melodic contour of late-eighteenth-century music (New Yorker).

3. = contour line. (Cf. ↑contour line)

4. Phonetics. a sequence of different levels of pitch or stress: »

Intonation contours are not, of course, phonemes, but morphemes (H. A. Gleason, Jr.).

–adj.

1. showing the outline, especially of hills, valleys, and other topographical features: »

a contour interval on a topographic map.

2. following natural ridges and furrows in plowing to avoid erosion: »

contour rows.

See also contour plowing. (Cf. ↑contour plowing)

3. shaped to fit the contour of a particular object: »

a contour chair, contour sheets.

–v.t.

1. to make an outline or contour of.

2. to build (a road, trestle, building, or the like) according to a contour.

3. to mark with contour lines.

╂[< French contour < Italian contorno < contornare encircle, ultimately < Latin com- with + tornus a turning lathe < Greek tórnos]