contour

/ˈkɑntʊər/

/ˈkɒntɔ/

Other forms: contours; contoured; contouring

Contour is the outline or shape of something. A shoe that fits well along the contours or shape of your foot is a good fit.

Contour comes from the Italian contorno meaning "to draw a line," which is precisely what you are doing when you trace the contour of something. A road that contours a mountain follows along its edge and a mattress that contours to your body, adjusts to your shape. You might buy the kind of shoes that are designed to contour or mold to the shape of your feet over time, in which case you'll have to break them in.

Definitions of contour

1. noun

   a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
   synonyms: contour line

   types:

   thalweg

   a line following the lowest points of a valley

   type of:

   isometric, isometric line

   a line connecting isometric points
2. noun

   any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
   synonyms: configuration, conformation, form, shape

   types:

   keenness, sharpness

   thinness of edge or fineness of point

   bluntness, dullness

   without sharpness or clearness of edge or point

   topography

   the configuration of a surface and the relations among its man-made and natural features

   lobularity

   the property of having lobules

   concaveness, concavity

   the property possessed by a concave shape

   convexity, convexness

   the property possessed by a convex shape

   angularity

   the property possessed by a shape that has angles

   narrowing

   an instance of becoming narrow

   curvature, curve

   the property possessed by the curving of a line or surface

   roundness

   the property possessed by a line or surface that is curved and not angular

   straightness

   freedom from crooks or curves or bends or angles

   crookedness

   having or distinguished by crooks or curves or bends or angles

   stratification

   a layered configuration

   acuteness

   the quality of having a sharp edge or point

   obtuseness

   the quality of lacking a sharp edge or point

   hollowness

   the property of having a sunken area

   bulginess, roundedness

   the property possessed by a rounded convexity

   coarctation

   (biology) a narrowing or constriction of a vessel or canal; especially a congenital narrowing of the aorta

   taper

   the property possessed by a shape that narrows toward a point (as a wedge or cone)

   oblongness, rectangularity

   the property of being shaped like a rectangle

   triangularity

   the property of being shaped like a triangle

   globosity, globularness, rotundity, rotundness, sphericalness, sphericity

   the roundness of a 3-dimensional object

   cylindricality, cylindricalness

   the roundness of a 3-dimensional cylinder

   circularity, disk shape

   the roundness of a 2-dimensional figure

   curliness, waviness

   (of hair) a tendency to curl

   straightness

   (of hair) lack of a tendency to curl

   bottleneck, chokepoint, constriction

   a narrowing that reduces the flow through a channel

   type of:

   spatial property, spatiality

   any property relating to or occupying space
3. noun

   a feature (or the order or arrangement of features) of anything having a complex structure
   “the contours of the melody”

   “it defines a major contour of this administration”

   type of:

   characteristic, feature

   a prominent attribute or aspect of something
4. verb

   form the contours of
   types:

   streamline

   contour economically or efficiently

   type of:

   delineate, limn, outline

   trace the shape of