description

A2 Topic:Communication

US /dɪˈskɹɪpʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #4029

Meanings

1

noun
A piece of writing or speech that says what someone or something is like.

She gave the police a detailed description of the car.
2

noun
The act of saying what something is like.

The description of the journey took nearly an hour.
3

noun
A type or kind of something.

Books of every description filled the shelves.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 noun · a type or kind of something. kind sort type variety

Word family

Forms descriptions

Derived forms audiodescriptiondescriptionaldescriptionallydescriptionismdescriptionistdescriptionisticdescriptionlessmetadescriptionmisdescriptionnondescriptionnondescriptionaloverdescription

Related forms describe descriptivedescriptivisminterpretation prescription synopsis

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

verbal description
an account of something expressed in words

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English descripcioun, from Old French description and its etymon, Latin dēscrīptiō, noun of action of dēscrībō (“to describe”). Equivalent to describe + -tion.

*(s)kreybʰ- Proto-Indo-European descripcioun Middle English description Old French dēscrīptiō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Communication

External links

# description

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈskɹɪpʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 4029

## Meanings
1. A piece of writing or speech that says what someone or something is like.
2. The act of saying what something is like.
3. A type or kind of something.

## Examples
- She gave the police a detailed description of the car.
- The description of the journey took nearly an hour.
- Books of every description filled the shelves.

## Derived Forms
- audiodescription
- descriptional
- descriptionally
- descriptionism
- descriptionist
- descriptionistic
- descriptionless
- metadescription
- misdescription
- nondescription
- nondescriptional
- overdescription

## Related Forms
- describe
- descriptive
- descriptivism
- interpretation
- prescription
- synopsis

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *(s)kreybʰ-
- Root: descripcioun
- Root: description
- Root: dēscrīptiō

## Etymology
From Middle English descripcioun, from Old French description and its etymon, Latin dēscrīptiō, noun of action of dēscrībō (“to describe”). Equivalent to describe + -tion.

## AI Etymology
description comes from Middle English descripcioun, from Old French description and its etymon, Latin dēscrīptiō, noun of action of dēscrībō (“to describe”). Equivalent to describe + -tion. The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreybʰ-, Middle English descripcioun, Old French description, Latin dēscrīptiō. Current senses include A piece of writing or speech that says what someone or something is like and The act of saying what something is like. English relatives and later formations include audiodescription, descriptional, descriptionally, describe, descriptive.

## Topics
- Communication

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