What is the Latin word for delineation?

The usual Latin words for “delineation” are fōrma, dēfōrmātiō, adumbrātiō; also dēsignātiō, dēscrīptiō, ichnogrăphĭa. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“delineation” in Latin

fōrmaform; figure, shape, appearance; fine form; beauty; outline, plan, design dēfōrmātiōdeforming, defacing, disfigurement adumbrātiōsketch, outline, silhouette; semblance, pretense dēsignātiōa designating, describing, marking out, specification; a disposition, arrangement dēscrīptiōdescription; diagram, plan; transcript, copy ichnogrăphĭaa ground-plot imāgōimage, imitation, likeness, statue, representation; ancestral image; ghost, apparition figūrashape, form, figure; shape; taunt, quip, jibe cellaa small room, a hut, storeroom; a barn, granary; the part of a temple where the image of a god stood; altar, sanctuary, speciēsseeing, view, look; spectacle, sight; external appearance, looks; general outline or shape

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

delineation

PROP., forma (of an architectural object; ☞ Cic., Quint., Fr., 2, 6, 2; and Vitr., visum est mihi formas, sive uti Graeci σχήματα dicunt, duo explicare, of an illustrative figure): deformatio (Vitrvius): adumbratio (a slightly shaded sketch; Vitr., and IMPROP., Cic.): designatio (the marking out; e.g., cellarum, Vitrvius): descriptio (e.g., volutarum, Vitr.): ichnographia (the first, a representation in drawing; the latter, a ground-plan or design). Sometimes figura: species: imago: to make a delineation of anything, speciem operis deformare; imaginem or formam operis delineare (late; Plin.): to make a delineation of a building, imaginem operis deformare lineis. The arts of delineation, artes, quae in effectu positae sunt; artes effectivae (Quint. 2, 18, 2 and 5).

FIG., By words, etc., descriptio (delineation of places, characters, etc.): designatio; imago; forma; figura; species et figura; *operis ratio: *primae velut lineae alicujus rei (a first sketch of it; after velut primas lineas ducere, Quint.): to give a delineation of anything, alicujus rei speciem et formam adumbrare: to give a short delineation of anything, tantummodo summas attingere (opposed to res explicare, Nep., Pel., 1, 1).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for delineation?: The usual Latin words for “delineation” are fōrma, dēfōrmātiō, adumbrātiō; also dēsignātiō, dēscrīptiō, ichnogrăphĭa. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.