Figurative
/ˈfɪɡjərətɪv/noun
Using figures of speech or symbolic language rather than literal meaning.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin figurare, “to shape,” ultimately tied to the same root that gave English figure, so “figurative” originally meant language that is deliberately shaped, not just decorated.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheigh-
“to shape, form, mold”
Latin
Latin
fingere
“to shape, form, mold; to devise or feign”
Latin
Latin
figurare
“to shape, fashion, form into a figure”
Old French
Old French
figuratif
“figurative; expressed by figures or symbols”
Middle English
English
figuratif
“using metaphorical or symbolic expression”
Modern English
English
figurative
“not literal; expressed through figures of speech”