outline

Pronunciation

• IPA: noun /ˈaʊt.laɪn/; verb /ˈaʊt.laɪn/, /ˌaʊtˈlaɪn/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from out- and line.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The lines by which a figure is drawn: 1662 in the OED and Merriam-Webster, the 1660s in Etymonline.^[4][3][2]

Semantic evolution

Literally the outer line, it was used freely for the main or distinguishing lines of something.^[2] The main features of a subject are its outlines from 1710,^[4] a sketch in outline from 1735,^[4] and a rough draft in words from 1759.^[4][2] The single contour is from 1828,^[4] a shorthand outline from 1850, and an outline typeface from 1878.^[4] The verb is from 1762, to draw in outline, and to describe in general terms from 1847.^[2]

Timeline

• 1662 – the lines of a figure.^[4][3]
• 1735 – an outline drawing.^[4]
• 1759 – a rough draft in words.^[4][2]
• 1762 – to outline (verb).^[2]
• 1847 – to describe in general terms.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A line marking the outer edge of an object or figure; a contour.
2. A drawing that shows only the outer lines of things.
3. A general plan or summary; a draft.
4. Usually in the plural, the main features of an argument or work.

Verb

1. To draw or show the outline of.
2. To give the main features of; to summarize.

Word family

• reoutline

Related words

• line
• out-
• profile

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press