<B>figurate number,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of the numbers occurring in a series that has been derived from an arithmetical progression whose first term is 1 and whose difference is a whole number. By taking for the consecutive terms of the derived series the first term, the sum of the first two terms, the sum of the first three terms, and so on, of the simple progression, the units of such a number can be arranged symmetrically in the form of a figure, as a triangle, characteristic of the series to which it belongs. </DL>
<A NAME="figuration">
<B>figuration, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a form; shape. (SYN) contour, outline. <DD><B> 2. </B>the action or process of forming; shaping. <DD><B> 3. </B>representation by a likeness or symbol. <DD><B> 4. </B>the act of marking or adorning with figures or designs. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Music.) <DD><B> a. </B>the use of passing tones, ornaments, or the like. <DD><B> b. </B>the action of indicating harmonics with figures above the bass part. </DL>
<A NAME="figurative">
<B>figurative, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>using words out of their literal meaning to add beauty or force. Many words are indicated in their figurative sense in this dictionary by labeling the meaning or the sentence (Figurative.) (SYN) metaphorical. <DD><B> 2. </B>having many figures of speech. Poetry is frequently figurative. <DD><B> 3. </B>representing by a likeness or symbol; symbolic. <BR> <I>Ex. Baptism is a figurative ceremony; it represents cleansing by washing away sin.</I> (SYN) emblematical. <DD><B> 4. </B>representing by means of a figure or likeness, as in drawing or sculpture; representational. adv. <B>figuratively.</B> noun <B>figurativeness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="figure">
<B>figure, </B>noun, verb, <B>-ured,</B> <B>-uring.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a symbol for a number. 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on, are figures. <DD><B> 2. </B>an amount or value given in figures; price; estimate. <BR> <I>Ex. His figure for that house is very high.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a form enclosing a surface or space. <BR> <I>Ex. Circles, triangles, squares, cubes, and spheres are geometrical figures.</I> <DD><B> 4a. </B>the form of anything as determined by the outline; external form; shape generally. <BR> <I>Ex. The cloud had the figure of an outstretched hand.</I> (SYN) conformation, outline. <DD><B> b. </B>a person considered as a human shape or form. <BR> <I>Ex. I could see the figure of a woman against the window.</I> (SYN) conformation, outline. <DD><B> 5. </B>the human form; way in which a person looks or appears; build. <BR> <I>Ex. He has a scholar's figure, tall, thin, a little stooped.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>the impression which a particular person or thing produces by his character, behavior, or deportment; appearance of a specified quality. <BR> <I>Ex. It is my wish ... to have my boy make some figure in the world (Richard Brinsley Sheridan).</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>a person or character noted or remembered. <BR> <I>Ex. George Washington is a well-known figure in American history. Hamlet is the most enigmatic figure in Shakespeare.</I> <DD><B> 8. </B>an artificial representation of the human form in sculpture, painting, or drawing, usually of the whole or greater part of the body. <BR> <I>Ex. They passed like figures on a marble urn (Keats).</I> (SYN) effigy, statue. <DD><B> 9. </B>a person, animal, or thing that stands for or represents another person, thing, quality, or accomplishment; image; likeness. <BR> <I>Ex. He is their standard figure of perfection (Edmund Burke).</I> <DD><B> 10. </B>a picture, drawing, diagram, or other illustration. <BR> <I>Ex. My science book has many figures to help explain the lessons.</I> <DD> (Abbr:) fig. <DD><B> 11. </B>a design or pattern. <BR> <I>Ex. the figures in the wallpaper.</I> <DD><B> 12. </B>an outline traced by movements. <BR> <I>Ex. The airplane's maneuvers wrote intricate figures in the air.</I> <DD><B> 13. </B>a set of movements in dancing or skating coordinated to form a pattern. <DD><B> 14. </B>a figure of speech; form or mode of expression, differing from the normal, and resorted to for ornament, emphasis, vividness, or the like; simile, metaphor, hyperbole, or the like. <DD><B> 15. </B>an emblem; symbol. <BR> <I>Ex. Learning is normally represented by the figure of a torch.</I> <DD><B> 16. </B>a short series of musical notes or chords forming a complete phrase, theme, or other unit and conveying a particular impression. <BR> <I>Ex. The opening eight-note figure gives the theme of the whole composition.</I> <DD><B> 17. </B>(Logic.) any one of the forms of a syllogism that differ only in the position of the middle term. <DD><B> 18. </B>the curve needed on the surface of the mirror of a reflecting telescope. <DD><B> 19. </B>(Psychology.) any shape or form perceived as standing out or apart from its surroundings. <BR> <I>Ex. an ambiguous figure-ground relationship in a picture.</I> <DD><B> 20. </B>(Obsolete.) a phantom; delusion. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to use figures to find (the answer to a problem); reckon; compute. <BR> <I>Ex. Please figure my bill so that I may pay you.</I> (SYN) calculate, cipher. <DD><B> 2. </B>to indicate or express in figures. <BR> <I>Ex. Your draft is worded for twenty pounds and figured for twenty-one (William Cowper).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to show by a figure; represent in a diagram. <DD><B> 4. </B>to decorate with a figure or pattern; ornament with a design. <BR> <I>Ex. crimson satin, figured with velvet flowers.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to portray by speech or action; represent. <BR> <I>Ex. [My heart] is figured in my tongue (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>to express by a metaphor or other figure of speech. <DD><B> 7. </B>to represent by an emblem or symbol; be an emblem or symbol of. <BR> <I>Ex. You, lord archbishop ... whose white investments figure innocence (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 8. </B>(Informal.) to think; consider; form the opinion. <BR> <I>Ex. I figured I should stop where I was.</I> <DD><B> 9. </B>(Music.) <DD><B> a. </B>to write figures over and under (the bass) to indicate the intended harmony. <DD><B> b. </B>to use passing tones, ornaments, or the like, in; embellish. <DD><B> 10. </B>to picture mentally; imagine. <BR> <I>Ex. Figure to yourself a happy family, secure in their own home.</I> <DD><B> 11. </B>(Obsolete.) to give figure to; form; shape. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to use numbers to find the answer to some problem; compute. <BR> <I>Ex. The bookkeeper wrote and figured well.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to be conspicuous; appear; be notable. <BR> <I>Ex. The names of great leaders figure in the story of human progress.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to perform a dancing figure (often with <I>away</I> or <I>down</I>). <BR> <I>Ex. The squire himself figured down several couples with a partner (Washington Irving).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>figure in,</B> </I>(U.S. Informal.) to count in; take into account. <BR> <I>Ex. The car is quite expensive if you figure in the insurance and upkeep.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>figure on,</B> </I>(Informal.) <DD><B> a. </B>to depend on; count on; rely on; expect. <BR> <I>Ex. I can figure on my father's help to pay my way through college. The engineers figured on one-way traffic to relieve the congestion west of the bridge.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to consider as part of a plan or undertaking. <BR> <I>Ex. I had not figured on that.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>figure out,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to estimate; calculate; find out by using figures. </I> <I>Ex. Please figure out how much I owe you. He has figured out how many men he is likely to need.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to think out; understand; make out. <BR> <I>Ex. Even the repairman couldn't figure out what had gone wrong with the washer.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>figures,</B> </I>calculations using figures; arithmetic. <BR> <I>Ex. She was never very good at figures.</I> adj. <B>figureless.</B> noun <B>figurer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="figured">
<B>figured, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>decorated with a design or pattern; not plain. <BR> <I>Ex. figured silk.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>shown by a figure, diagram, or picture. <BR> <I>Ex. The model figured is one sixth of the full size.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B><B>=figurative.</B> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Music.) <DD><B> a. </B>having accompanying chords of the bass part indicated by figures. <DD><B> b. </B>florid; figurate. </DL>
<A NAME="figuredance">
<B>figure dance,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a dance consisting of elaborate figures. </DL>
<A NAME="figuredancer">
<B>figure dancer,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a performer in a figure dance. </DL>
<A NAME="figuredbass">
<B>figured bass,</B> =thorough bass.</DL>
<A NAME="figuredsyllogism">
<B>figured syllogism,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a syllogism so expressed as to belong to a definite figure. </DL>
<A NAME="figureeight">
<B>figure eight,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a flight maneuver in which an aircraft flies a path resembling a horizontal 8. <DD><B> 2. </B>an evolution in figure skating in which the skater traces a single line resembling an 8. </DL>
<A NAME="figurehead">
<B>figurehead, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who is the head in name only, without real authority. <BR> <I>Ex. The old man is just a figurehead; his son really runs the business.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a statue or carving placed for ornament on the bow of a ship. </DL>
<A NAME="figureofeight">
<B>figure of eight,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a kind of knot or loop made in the end of a rope to keep it from running out of a block, resembling the figure 8. </DL>
<A NAME="figureofspeech">
<B>figure of speech,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an expression in which words are used out of their literal meaning or in striking combinations to add beauty or force. "The eye of an eagle" (a metaphor) and "as brave as a lion" (a simile) are figures of speech. </DL>
<A NAME="figures">
<B>figures, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> See under <B>figure.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="figureskate">
<B>figure skate,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an ice skate with a slight toothed curve on the point of the blade and a high shoe, used for figure skating. </DL>
<A NAME="figureskate">
<B>figure-skate, </B>intransitive verb, <B>-skated,</B> <B>-skating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to engage in figure skating. </DL>
<A NAME="figureskater">
<B>figure-skater, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person engaged in figure skating; a performer who figureskates. </DL>
<A NAME="figureskating">
<B>figure skating,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the art or practice of describing certain figures and of performing feats of grace and agility to music on skates, somewhat resembling ballet. <DD><B> 2. </B>a competition in the display of this art. </DL>
