Figurative

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Figurate \Fig"ur*ate\, a. [L. figuratus, p. p. of figurare. See
     {Figure}.]
     1. Of a definite form or figure.
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              Plants are all figurate and determinate, which


              inanimate bodies are not.             --Bacon.
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     2. Figurative; metaphorical. [Obs.] --Bale.
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     3. (Mus.) Florid; figurative; involving passing discords by
        the freer melodic movement of one or more parts or voices
        in the harmony; as, figurate counterpoint or descant.
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     {Figurate counterpoint} or {Figurate descant} (Mus.), that
        which is not simple, or in which the parts do not move
        together tone for tone, but in which freer movement of one
        or more parts mingles passing discords with the harmony;
        -- called also {figural}, {figurative}, and {figured
        counterpoint} or {descant} (although the term figured is
        more commonly applied to a bass with numerals written
        above or below to indicate the other notes of the
        harmony).
  
     {Figurate numbers} (Math.), numbers, or series of numbers,
        formed from any arithmetical progression in which the
        first term is a unit, and the difference a whole number,
        by taking the first term, and the sums of the first two,
        first three, first four, etc., as the successive terms of
        a new series, from which another may be formed in the same
        manner, and so on, the numbers in the resulting series
        being such that points representing them are capable of
        symmetrical arrangement in different geometrical figures,
        as triangles, squares, pentagons, etc.
  
     Note: In the following example, the two lower lines are
           composed of figurate numbers, those in the second line
           being triangular, and represented thus:
           . 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. . . . 1, 3, 6, 10, etc. . . . . . .
           . etc. 1, 4, 10, 20, etc . . . . . . . . . . . .
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Figurative \Fig"ur*a*tive\, a. [L. figurativus: cf. F.
     figuratif. See {Figurative}.]
     1. Representing by a figure, or by resemblance; typical;
        representative.
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              This, they will say, was figurative, and served, by
              God's appointment, but for a time, to shadow out the
              true glory of a more divine sanctity. --Hooker.
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     2. Used in a sense that is tropical, as a metaphor; not
        literal; -- applied to words and expressions.
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     3. Abounding in figures of speech; flowery; florid; as, a
        highly figurative description.
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     4. Relating to the representation of form or figure by
        drawing, carving, etc. See {Figure}, n., 2.
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              They belonged to a nation dedicated to the
              figurative arts, and they wrote for a public
              familiar with painted form.           --J. A.
                                                    Symonds.
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     {Figurative counterpoint} or {Figurative descant}. See under
        {Figurate}. -- {Fig"ur*a*tive*ly}, adv. --
        {Fig"ur*a*tive*ness}, n.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  figurative
       adj 1: (used of the meanings of words or text) not literal; using
              figures of speech; "figurative language" [syn: {nonliteral}]
              [ant: {literal}]
       2: consisting of or forming human or animal figures; "a figural
          design"; "the figurative art of the humanistic tradition"-
          Herbert Read [syn: {figural}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  147 Moby Thesaurus words for "figurative":
     adorned, algorismic, algorithmic, aliquot, allegoric, allegorical,
     allusive, anagogic, apish, associational, befrilled, cardinal,
     colored, connotational, connotative, decimal, decorated, definable,
     delineatory, demonstrative, denominative, denotational, denotative,
     depictive, designative, diagnostic, differential, digital, echoic,
     embellished, emblematic, embodying, embroidered, even, evidential,
     exhibitive, exponential, expressive, extended, extensional, fancy,
     festooned, figural, figurate, figured, finite, florid, flowery,
     fractional, full of meaning, full of point, full of substance,
     graphic, identifying, ideographic, idiosyncratic, illustrational,
     illustrative, imaginary, imitative, impair, implicative,
     impossible, incarnating, indicating, indicative, indicatory,
     individual, infinite, integral, intelligible, intensional,
     interpretable, irrational, limning, logarithmic, logometric, lush,
     luxuriant, mannered, meaning, meaningful, meaty, metaphorical,
     mimetic, mimish, naming, negative, numeral, numerary, numerative,
     numeric, odd, onomatopoeic, ordinal, ornamented, ornate,
     overcharged, overloaded, pair, pathognomonic, peculiar,
     personifying, pictographic, pictorial, pithy, pointed, portraying,
     positive, possible, pregnant, prime, purple, radical, rational,
     readable, real, reciprocal, referential, representational,
     representative, representing, semantic, semiotic, sententious,
     signalizing, significant, significative, signifying, simulative,
     submultiple, substantial, suggestive, surd, symbolic, symbolistic,
     symbolizing, symbological, symptomatic, symptomatologic,
     transcendental, transferred, trolatitious, tropological, typical,
     typifying, vivid