described
English meaning: Described
Definition
Described is the past tense of 'describe', meaning gave a clear account of what something is like. It is used when reporting completed descriptions.
Example
“The author described the village in great detail.”
Another example: “The new species was first described by a botanist in the 1850s.”
Usage — When, Where & How
The past tense and past participle of 'describe': gave a clear account of what something is like. Common in reports and narratives ('the witness described the man'). Neutral register; appears widely in writing and speech.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
Past form of 'describe', from Latin 'describere' meaning to write down.
Synonyms
- explained
- portrayed
- detailed
- outlined
- delineate
- represented
- delineated
Related Words
- wingspan
- botanist
- bates
- specimen
- genus
- detail
- finest
- specimens
- subspecies
- description
- endemic
- guinea
Common Collocations
- described as
- described above
- clearly described
- vividly described
- described in detail
- best described as
Word Forms
describe (v); described (past); describing; description (n); descriptive (adj)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B