contour.

1. The outline or surface form that defines a shape.

2. A line on a map joining points at the same elevation.

3. To shape or arrange something to follow a particular profile.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• facial contour
• contour of a ridge

On the page

The light traced the contour of her face.

Usage notes

Primary category: sensory / description. Forms: Singular contour; plural contours. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: contours.