Description
/dɪˈskrɪpʃən/
Definitions
A statement, picture in words, or account that gives a detailed portrayal or representation of something.
/dɪˈskrɪpʃən/
A spoken or written account of a person, object, event, or process.
The police asked the witness for a description of the suspect.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're telling a friend about a cool movie you saw. A description is your way of sharing the details – what it looked like, what happened, what the characters were like. It's like painting a picture with words!
👶 For kids: When you tell someone all about something, like what it looks like or how it works, that's a description!
More Examples
The tour guide gave a detailed description of the historical site.
Her description of the accident was very clear.
How It's Used
"The book contained detailed descriptions of the landscapes."
"The scientists provided a precise description of the experiment's methodology."
"The author's descriptions painted a vivid picture of the setting."
Idioms & expressions
beyond description
Impossible to describe; too great or extreme to be expressed in words.
"The beauty of the sunset was beyond description."
From Latin *dēscrīptiō* ('a writing down, a description'), from *dēscrībere* ('to write down, describe'), from *dē-* ('down, off') + *scrībere* ('to write').
The word has been used in English since the 14th century, reflecting the evolving importance of detailed accounts and written records.
Memory tip
Think of DESCRIBE as the root. Description is the *result* of describing something. It's what you get *after* you describe.
Word Origin
"a writing down, a description"