核心畫面
Picture describe as tracing something's outline so another person can see it — the word literally meant 'to write it down, sketch it'. With words you trace the shape in speech; with a hand or a moving object you trace it in the air.
可以想成把一樣東西的輪廓「描」出來，讓別人也看得見——這個字本來就是「寫下來、勾勒出來」。用語言描時，你是用話把它的…更多收起
可以想成把一樣東西的輪廓「描」出來，讓別人也看得見——這個字本來就是「寫下來、勾勒出來」。用語言描時，你是用話把它的樣子勾出來；用手或移動的物體描時，就真的在空間裡畫出那條線。From the word’s history
From Latin describere 'to write down, sketch, represent', de- 'down' + scribere 'to write'. Both modern senses keep the idea of tracing an outline — one in words, one as an actual traced shape.
來自拉丁文 describere「寫下、勾勒」，由 de-（下）＋ scribere（寫）組成。兩個現代意思都留著「描出輪廓」這一層：一個用文字描，一個真的用動作在空間裡描出形狀。
Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com/word/describe)
原始詞典資料5 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
describeverb/dɪˈskɹaɪb/
- 1
To represent in words.
- The feeling is difficult to describe, but not unpleasant.
- The geographer describes countries and cities.
- 2
To represent by drawing; to draw a plan of; to delineate; to trace or mark out.
- to describe a circle by the compasses; a torch waved about the head in such a way as to describe a circle
- Uncas described an arc in the water with his own blade, and as the canoe passed swiftly on, Chingachgook recovered his paddle, and flourishing it on high, he gave the war-whoop of the Mohicans.
- 3
mathematicssciencesTo give rise to a geometrical structure.
- The function describes a very complex surface.
- 4
biologynatural-sciencestaxonomyTo introduce a new taxon to science by explaining its characteristics and particularly how it differs from other taxa.
- The fungus was first described by a botanist.
- 5
obsoleteTo distribute into parts, groups, or classes; to mark off; to class.
- Passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。