form
Other forms: formed; forms; forming
The way something (or someone) is shaped or arranged is its form. You might use it to describe the way a person looks walking in the woods at dusk by saying, "Her form was almost lost between the shadowy trees."
Physical objects have a form, and so do less tangible things like music, movies, and stories. When form is used as a verb, it means "to give shape to," as when a filmmaker works to form the narrative of her movie so that it makes sense to the audience.
Definitions of form
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a perceptual structure“the composition presents problems for students of musical form”
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types:
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fractal
(mathematics) a geometric pattern that is repeated at every scale and so cannot be represented by classical geometry
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gestalt
a configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts
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grid
a pattern of regularly spaced horizontal and vertical lines
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kaleidoscope
a complex pattern of constantly changing colors and shapes
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mosaic
a pattern resembling a mosaic
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strand
a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole
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reference grid
a pattern of horizontal and vertical lines that provide coordinates for locating points on an image or a map
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Amsler grid
a pattern of small boxes that is used for self-monitoring by patients who have age-related macular degeneration
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type of:
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structure
the complex composition of knowledge as elements and their combinations
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a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality“sculpture is a form of art”
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types:
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description
sort or variety
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type
a subdivision of a particular kind of thing
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antitype
an opposite or contrasting type
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art form
(architecture) a form of artistic expression (such as writing or painting or architecture)
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style
a particular kind (as to appearance)
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flavor, flavour
(physics) the six kinds of quarks
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color, colour
(physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction
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species
a specific kind of something
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genus
a general kind of something
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brand, make
a recognizable kind
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genre
a kind of literary or artistic work
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ilk, like
a kind of person
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manner
a kind
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model
a type of product
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stripe
a kind or category
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like, the like, the likes of
a similar kind
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breed
a special type
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nature
a particular type of thing
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edition, variant, variation, version
something a little different from others of the same type
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architectural style, style of architecture, type of architecture
architecture as a kind of art form
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charm
(physics) one of the six flavors of quark
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strangeness
(physics) one of the six flavors of quark
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sonata form
a musical form having 3 sections -- exposition and development and recapitulation; characteristic of 1st movement of a sonata or symphony
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type of:
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category
a general concept that marks divisions or coordinations in a conceptual scheme
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a particular mode in which something is manifested
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(physical chemistry) a distinct state of matter in a system; matter that is identical in chemical composition and physical state and separated from other material by the phase boundary
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synonyms:
phase
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types:
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dispersed particles, dispersed phase
(of colloids) a substance in the colloidal state
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dispersing medium, dispersing phase, dispersion medium
(of colloids) a substance in which another is colloidally dispersed
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type of:
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state, state of matter
(chemistry) the three traditional states of matter are solids (fixed shape and volume) and liquids (fixed volume and shaped by the container) and gases (filling the container)
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dispersed particles, dispersed phase
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create (as an entity)“social groups form everywhere”“They formed a company”
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types:
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regroup, reorganise, reorganize
organize anew, as after a setback
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choose up
form sides, as for a game
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draw up
form or arrange in order or formation, as of a body of soldiers
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regiment
form (military personnel) into a regiment
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syndicate
organize into or form a syndicate
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give shape or form to“form the young child's character”
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synonyms:
shape
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types:
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individuate
give individual shape or form to
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tie
form a knot or bow in
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terrace
make into terraces as for cultivation
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fork
shape like a fork
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tabulate
shape or cut with a flat surface
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dimension
shape or form to required dimensions
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roll
shape by rolling
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draw
flatten, stretch, or mold metal or glass, by rolling or by pulling it through a die or by stretching
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strike
cause to form (an electric arc) between electrodes of an arc lamp
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crystalise, crystalize, crystallise, crystallize
cause to take on a definite and clear shape
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twist
form into twists
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sliver
form into slivers
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ridge
form into a ridge
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plume
form a plume
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round, round off, round out
make round
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scallop, scollop
shape or cut in scallops
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square, square up
make square
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dish
make concave; shape like a dish
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fit
make fit
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flatten
make flat or flatter
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deform, distort, strain
alter the shape of (something) by stress
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blow
shape by blowing
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block
shape into a block or blocks
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block
shape by using a block
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cup
form into the shape of a cup
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circle, encircle
form a circle around
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turn
shape by rotating on a lathe or cutting device or a wheel
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purse
contract one's lips into a rounded shape
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steamroll, steamroller
make level or flat with a steamroller
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splat
split open and flatten for cooking
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jaundice
distort adversely
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roll, roll out
flatten or spread with a roller
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laminate
press or beat (metals) into thin sheets
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dovetail
fit together tightly, as if by means of a dovetail
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develop into a distinctive entity
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synonyms:
spring, take form, take shape
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types:
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regenerate
be formed or shaped anew
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type of:
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become
come into existence
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regenerate
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to compose or represent:"This wall forms the background of the stage setting"
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synonyms:
constitute, make
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establish or impress firmly in the mind
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any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
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synonyms:
configuration, conformation, contour, shape
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types:
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keenness, sharpness
thinness of edge or fineness of point
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bluntness, dullness
without sharpness or clearness of edge or point
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topography
the configuration of a surface and the relations among its man-made and natural features
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lobularity
the property of having lobules
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concaveness, concavity
the property possessed by a concave shape
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convexity, convexness
the property possessed by a convex shape
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angularity
the property possessed by a shape that has angles
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narrowing
an instance of becoming narrow
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curvature, curve
the property possessed by the curving of a line or surface
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roundness
the property possessed by a line or surface that is curved and not angular
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straightness
freedom from crooks or curves or bends or angles
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crookedness
having or distinguished by crooks or curves or bends or angles
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stratification
a layered configuration
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acuteness
the quality of having a sharp edge or point
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obtuseness
the quality of lacking a sharp edge or point
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hollowness
the property of having a sunken area
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bulginess, roundedness
the property possessed by a rounded convexity
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coarctation
(biology) a narrowing or constriction of a vessel or canal; especially a congenital narrowing of the aorta
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taper
the property possessed by a shape that narrows toward a point (as a wedge or cone)
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oblongness, rectangularity
the property of being shaped like a rectangle
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triangularity
the property of being shaped like a triangle
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globosity, globularness, rotundity, rotundness, sphericalness, sphericity
the roundness of a 3-dimensional object
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cylindricality, cylindricalness
the roundness of a 3-dimensional cylinder
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circularity, disk shape
the roundness of a 2-dimensional figure
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curliness, waviness
(of hair) a tendency to curl
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straightness
(of hair) lack of a tendency to curl
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bottleneck, chokepoint, constriction
a narrowing that reduces the flow through a channel
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type of:
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spatial property, spatiality
any property relating to or occupying space
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the spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance
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synonyms:
shape
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types:
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solid
a three-dimensional shape
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plane, sheet
(mathematics) an unbounded two-dimensional shape
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natural shape
a shape created by natural forces; not man-made
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flair, flare
a shape that spreads outward
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figure
a combination of points and lines and planes that form a visible palpable shape
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line
a length (straight or curved) without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point
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angular shape, angularity
a shape having one or more sharp angles
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round shape
a shape that is curved and without sharp angles
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distorted shape, distortion
a shape resulting from distortion
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amorphous shape
an ill-defined or arbitrary shape
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connection, connexion, link
a connecting shape
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circle
something approximating the shape of a circle
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square
something approximating the shape of a square
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triangle
something approximating the shape of a triangle
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column, pillar, tower
anything that approximates the shape of a column or tower
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plume
anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness
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curve
a line on a graph representing data
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Cartesian plane
a plane in which all points can be described in Cartesian coordinates
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facet plane
the plane of a facet of an object (as of a cube)
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midline, midplane
the median plane of the body (or some part of the body)
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orbital plane
(astronomy) the plane on which a body is orbiting
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picture plane
the plane that is in the foreground of a drawing or painting; coextensive with but different from the objective surface of the work
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tangent plane
the plane that contains all the lines tangent to a specific point on a surface
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leaf form, leaf shape
any of the various shape that leaves of plants can assume
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equilateral
a figure whose sides are all equal
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pencil
a figure formed by a set of straight lines or light rays meeting at a point
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plane figure, two-dimensional figure
a two-dimensional shape
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solid figure, three-dimensional figure
a three-dimensional shape
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subfigure
a figure that is a part of another figure
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bulb
anything with a round shape resembling a teardrop
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convex shape, convexity
a shape that curves or bulges outward
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concave shape, concavity, incurvation, incurvature
a shape that curves or bends inward
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cylinder
a solid bounded by a cylindrical surface and two parallel planes (the bases)
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curve, curved shape
the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
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straight line
a line traced by a point traveling in a constant direction; a line of zero curvature
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geodesic, geodesic line
(mathematics) the shortest line between two points on a mathematically defined surface (as a straight line on a plane or an arc of a great circle on a sphere)
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perimeter
a line enclosing a plane area
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center line, centerline
a line that bisects a plane figure
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cone, cone shape, conoid
a shape whose base is a circle and whose sides taper up to a point
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disc, disk, saucer
something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate
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coil, curl, curlicue, gyre, ringlet, roll, scroll, whorl
a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)
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convolution, swirl, vortex, whirl
the shape of something rotating rapidly
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parallel
(mathematics) one of a set of parallel geometric figures (parallel lines or planes)
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polyhedron
a solid figure bounded by plane polygons or faces
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contortion, crookedness, torsion, tortuosity, tortuousness
a tortuous and twisted shape or position
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buckle, warp
a shape distorted by twisting or folding
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gnarl, knot
something twisted and tight and swollen
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forking, furcation
the place where something divides into branches
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jog
a sharp change in direction
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zag, zig, zigzag
an angular shape characterized by sharp turns in alternating directions
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ellipsoid of revolution, spheroid
a shape that is generated by rotating an ellipse around one of its axes
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sphere
a three-dimensional closed surface such that every point on the surface is equidistant from the center
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sphere
a solid figure bounded by a spherical surface (including the space it encloses)
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cylinder
a surface generated by rotating a parallel line around a fixed line
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toroid, torus
a ring-shaped surface generated by rotating a circle around an axis that does not intersect the circle
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toroid
the doughnut-shaped object enclosed by a torus
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columella
a small column (or structure resembling a column) that is a part of a plant or animal
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hoodoo
(geology) a column of weathered and unusually shaped rock
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rim
the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
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bound, boundary, edge
a line determining the limits of an area
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bend, crease, crimp, flexure, fold, plication
an angular or rounded shape made by folding
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shapelessness
an amorphous or indefinite shape
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blob
an indistinct shapeless form
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space
an empty area (usually bounded in some way between things)
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node
a connecting point at which several lines come together
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articulation, join, joint, junction, juncture
the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made
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cast, mold, mould, stamp
the distinctive form in which a thing is made
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block, cube
a three-dimensional shape with six square or rectangular sides
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ovoid
an egg-shaped object
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frustum
a truncated cone or pyramid; the part that is left when a cone or pyramid is cut by a plane parallel to the base and the apical part is removed
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tendril
something long, light, slender, and often curling
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segment
the part of a line between any two points
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type of:
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attribute
an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity
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the visual appearance of something or someone
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type of:
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appearance, visual aspect
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
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appearance, visual aspect
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alternate name for the body of a human being
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synonyms:
anatomy, bod, build, chassis, figure, flesh, frame, human body, material body, physical body, physique, shape, soma
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types:
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person
a human body (usually including the clothing)
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juvenile body
the body of a young person
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adult body
the body of an adult human being
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male body
the body of a male human being
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female body
the body of a female human being
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child's body
the body of a human child
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adult female body, woman's body
the body of an adult woman
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adult male body, man's body
the body of an adult man
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type of:
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body, organic structure, physical structure
the entire structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
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a life-size dummy used to display clothes
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a mold for setting concrete
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make something, usually for a specific function“Form cylinders from the dough”
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types:
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carve
form by carving
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swage, upset
form metals with a swage
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chip
form by chipping
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layer
make or form a layer
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cut out
form and create by cutting out
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machine
turn, shape, mold, or otherwise finish by machinery
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grind
shape or form by grinding
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stamp
form or cut out with a mold, form, or die
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puddle
subject to puddling or form by puddling
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beat
shape by beating
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preform
form or shape beforehand or determine the shape of beforehand
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preform
form into a shape resembling the final, desired one
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mound
form into a rounded elevation
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hill
form into a hill
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roughcast
shape roughly
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remold, reshape
shape again or shape differently
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sinter
cause (ores or powdery metals) to become a coherent mass by heating without melting
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cast, mold, mould
form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold
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throw
make on a potter's wheel
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coil, hand-build, handbuild
make without a potter's wheel
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sculpt, sculpture
create by shaping stone or wood or any other hard material
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model, mold, mould
form in clay, wax, etc
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hew, hew out
make or shape as with an axe
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gouge out
make gouges into a surface
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rabbet
cut a rectangular groove into
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grave, sculpt, sculpture
shape (a material like stone or wood) by whittling away at it
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die, die out
cut or shape with a die
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mound over
form a mound over
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press, press out
press from a plastic
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recast, remold, remould
cast again
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sand cast
pour molten metal into a mold of sand
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forge, hammer
create by hammering
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fret
carve a pattern into
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type of:
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create from raw material, create from raw stuff
make from scratch
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assume a form or shape“the water formed little beads”
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types:
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constellate
form a constellation or cluster
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culminate
rise to, or form, a summit
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grain, granulate
form into grains
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conglobate, conglobe
assume a globular shape
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bunch, bunch up, bundle, clump, cluster
gather or cause to gather into a cluster
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brecciate
form into breccia
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reticulate
divide so as to form a network
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flake
form into flakes
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head
form a head or come or grow to a head
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bead
form into beads, as of water or sweat, for example
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agglomerate
form into one cluster
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type of:
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change
undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
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an arrangement of the elements in a composition or discourse“the essay was in the form of a dialogue”“he first sketches the plot in outline form”
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versification
the form or metrical composition of a poem
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poetic rhythm, prosody, rhythmic pattern
(prosody) a system of versification
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rhyme, rime
correspondence in the sounds of two or more lines (especially final sounds)
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rhyme scheme
the pattern of rhymes in a poem or stanza
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type of:
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genre, literary genre, writing style
a style of expressing yourself in writing
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a printed document with spaces in which to write“he filled out his tax form”
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types:
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application form
a form to use when making an application
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claim form
a form to use when filing a claim
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order form
a form to use when placing an order
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questionnaire
a form containing a set of questions; submitted to people to gain statistical information
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requisition, requisition form
an official form on which a request is made
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tax form
a form to use when paying your taxes
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telegraph form
a form to use when sending a telegram
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personality assessment, personality inventory
a questionnaire that is supposed to yield a description of a person's personality traits
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type of:
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document, papers, written document
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
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(biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups
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type of:
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taxon, taxonomic category, taxonomic group
animal or plant group having natural relations
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taxon, taxonomic category, taxonomic group
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a body of students who are taught together
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types:
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master class
a class (especially in music) given to talented students by an expert
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discussion section, section
a small class of students who are part of a larger course but are taught separately
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type of:
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assemblage, gathering
a group of persons together in one place
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master class
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the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something“the inflected forms of a word can be represented by a stem and a list of inflections to be attached”
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synonyms:
descriptor, signifier, word form
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types:
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plural, plural form
the form of a word that is used to denote more than one
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singular, singular form
the form of a word that is used to denote a singleton
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ghost word
a word form that has entered the language through the perpetuation of an error
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base, radical, root, root word, stem, theme
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
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etymon, root
a simple form inferred as the common basis from which related words in several languages can be derived by linguistic processes
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citation form, entry word, main entry word
the form of a word that heads a lexical entry and is alphabetized in a dictionary
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abbreviation
a shortened form of a word or phrase
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acronym
a word formed from the initial letters of the several words in the name
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apocope
abbreviation of a word by omitting the final sound or sounds
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type of:
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word
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
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an ability to perform well“he was at the top of his form”“the team was off form last night”
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type of:
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ability
the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment
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ability
Pronunciation
US
/fɔərm/
UK
/fɔm/
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