Some concepts in speech can have such a variety of meanings, depending on the context and environment of use, that they raise a number of questions about the appropriateness and correctness of one or another expression with them. One of these "stumbling blocks" is the word "figure". It can be used in everyday speech, in the exact sciences, logic games, in turns of fiction, as well as in phraseological units. How to understand what meaning is meant in each specific situation? Let's consider the most frequent cases of using the word in more detail.
Meaning
Five to ten different meanings of the word "figure" can be distinguished. The most common ones are:
- The outer outline or form of a person. In other words, physique. Example: "Dita Von Teese has an hourglass body type."
- Image of a person/animal in sculpture or painting. Example: "Wax figures of Hollywood celebrities on display at Madame Tussauds".
- In geometry, this is a part of the plane bounded by a line, or a set ofpoints and surfaces. Example: "A triangle is formed by intersecting three straight lines to form three interior angles."
- An object of a given shape, used when playing chess, towns. Example: "He slowly placed the pieces on the board, concentrated and started playing."
- Drawings, patterns and shapes that form objects arranged in a certain order. Example: "The whimsically shaped figures appeared in a kaleidoscope at the slightest shake, giving the feeling of a fairy tale and the euphoria of creativity."
- A stylistic device in literary criticism. Example: "To enhance the expressiveness of what was said, such figures as inversion, antithesis, epiphora, anaphora" are used.
- The meaning of the word "figure" can be figurative. These cases include the following:
- An artistic image created in literature or by an actor on stage. Example: "You can not underestimate the figure of the father in the development of the plot of the fairy tale about Cinderella."
- Important person or person in culture or politics. Example: "Mother Teresa can be called a figure of world importance. For everyone, she has become a symbol of sacrifice and kindness".
Etymology
The word "figure" comes from the Latin figura, meaning the image or appearance of something. Its use in astrology can be attributed to obsolete values. For example, the "figure of the Earth" as its external outline. The Latin verb fingere, which means "to shape, touch, or invent," also underliesorigin of word meanings. In Proto-Indo-Hebrew, it was associated with "knead, sculpt from clay." What is a "figure" and how did the word come to us? It came to Russian from Polish (figura). First mentioned by Peter I in the meaning of "plastic figure".
Synonyms
Words with a similar or identical meaning allow you to more fully reveal and expand the possibilities of using a particular concept. What is a "figure" in the literal and figurative sense, has already been considered. And what other words will give the same meaning to expand the stylistic possibilities of speech? These include: person, personality, person, drawing, example, texture, turnover, ace, subject, image, type, reception, image, image, position, constitution (body type), pirouette, etc.
Each of the above words can replace the word "figure" in this or that context without prejudice to the meaning.
Stable phrases and phraseological units
"Important figure" is used to characterize a person or image that plays social, political and cultural roles in a given environment. Can sometimes be ironic.
"Key figure" is used to denote the leading role of a person or character in life, a work of art or on stage. Enhances the imagery of the statement.
"Figure of speech", "stylistic/rhetorical figure" refer to literary devices and are stable terms-phrases.
Phraseologisms allow you to more capaciously, emotionally and accurately express the speaker's attitude to a phenomenon, concept or person. What"figure", becomes even clearer from the above examples of set expressions.
Some concepts can lead to confusion in understanding due to the abundance of contexts of use. Location, image, turnover, object, character, outline - any of these words can successfully replace the synonym "figure". The choice of an alternative option is dictated by the scope and context. What is a figure, was considered in the most frequent cases of use. They will allow you to take one more step in expanding your vocabulary.
