What is a "figure"? Meaning, etymology, synonyms of the word

Some concepts in speech can have such diverse meanings, depending on the context and the environment of use, which raise a whole series of questions about the appropriateness and correctness of this or that expression with them. One of such "stumbling blocks" is the word "figure". It can be used in everyday speech, in exact sciences, in logical games, in the turnover of works of art, and also in the composition of phraseological units. How to understand what meaning is implied in each specific situation? Consider the most frequent cases of using the word in more detail.

Value

You can select from five to ten different meanings of the word "figure". The most common of them are:

• Outward outline or forms of a person. In other words - physique. Example: "Dita von Teese type of figure -" hourglass ".
• An image of a person / animal in sculpture or painting. Example: "Wax figures of Hollywood celebrities are exhibited in the Madame Tussauds museum."
• In geometry, this is a part of the plane bounded by a line, or a collection of points and surfaces. Example: "A triangle is formed by intersecting three straight lines with the formation of three internal angles."
• The item of the given form used for playing chess, towns. Example: "He unhurriedly placed the pieces on the board, concentrated and proceeded to play."
• Figures, patterns and shapes that form objects arranged in a certain order. Example: "Figures of a bizarre form appeared in a kaleidoscope with the slightest shaking, giving the impression of a fairy tale and the euphoria of creativity."
• Stylistic device in literary criticism. Example: "To strengthen the expressiveness of the said, we use figures such as inversion, antithesis, epiphany, anaphora."
• The meaning of the word "figure" can be portable. Such cases include the following:

1. An artistic image created in literature or an actor on stage. Example: "You can not underestimate the figure of his father in the development of the story of a fairy tale about Cinderella."
2. An important person or person in culture or politics. Example: "Mother Teresa can be called a world figure, for all she became a symbol of sacrifice and kindness . "

Etymology

The word "figure" comes from the Latin figura, denoting the image or appearance of something. To obsolete values can be attributed to its use in astrology. For example, "the figure of the Earth" as its external outline. The fingere verb, meaning "to form, touch, or to invent," also underlies the origin of the meanings of the word. In primo-Jewish it was associated with "kneading, sculpting from clay." What is a "figure" and how did the word come about? In Russian it came from Polish (figura). First mentioned in Peter I in the meaning of "plastic figure".

Synonyms

Words with a similar or identical meaning allow us to more fully reveal and expand the possibilities of using this or that concept. What is a "figure" in the literal and figurative sense, has already been considered. And what other words will give the same meaning for the extension of the stylistic possibilities of speech? These include: person, person, person, figure, example, texture, turnover, ace, subject, image, type, reception, image, image, position, constitution (constitution), pirouette, etc.

Each of the above words can replace the word "figure" in this or that context without infringing the meaning.

Stable word combinations and phraseological units

"An important figure" is used to characterize the personality or image that plays social, political and cultural roles in this or that environment. Sometimes it can have an ironic meaning.

"Key figure" is used to refer to the leading role of the person or character in life, artwork or on stage. Strengthens the imagery of the utterance.

"Figure of speech", "stylistic / rhetorical figure" refer to literary techniques and are stable terms-word combinations.

Phraseological units allow for more capacious, emotional and accurate expression of the speaker's attitude to the phenomenon, the concept or the person. What is a "figure" becomes even clearer from the above examples of stable expressions.

Some concepts can lead to confusion in understanding because of the abundance of contexts of use. Location, image, turn, object, character, outline - any of these words can successfully replace the synonym "figure". Choosing an alternative option dictates the scope of use and context. What is a figure, was considered in the most frequent cases of use. They will allow you to take another step in expanding the vocabulary.