Outlining

How to spell outlining

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce outlining

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does outlining mean?

1. verbSetting out the main points or general plan of something without full detail.
2. verbDrawing the line that marks the outer boundary or shape of something.

Outlining in a sentence

• She spent the morning outlining the proposal before the meeting.

• The artist was outlining each figure in dark ink before adding colour.

• He is outlining the key arguments so the report writes itself later.

• She kept outlining the map of the coast with a fine pencil.

Where does outlining come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is the present participle of the verb 'outline', a compound formed in English from two older parts. The first half, 'out', is a native Old English word, ut, meaning 'beyond' or 'on the exterior'. The second half, 'line', traces back to the Latin linea, which literally meant 'a linen thread' and so came to mean a drawn stroke or boundary, reaching English through Old French ligne. 'Outline' first appeared in the mid 1600s as a noun for the line marking the outer edge of a figure, and the sense of a rough sketch or summary of the main points developed soon after. When the verb takes the -ing ending, the silent 'e' of 'line' is dropped before adding -ing, which is the small spelling decision that catches some writers.

How the word is built

• out- (outer, beyond)
• line (a drawn stroke or boundary)
• -ing (present participle/gerund)