contour line
1
4.2
- noun
- /ˈkɒntʊr laɪn/
- Specialized
:
línea de contorno
- The hiker followed the contour lines to navigate through the mountainous terrain.
Examples
-
With one exception, discussed below, all of the terraces we documented are contour or dry-slope terraces that follow generally along the contour lines of gentle slopes.
Academic text (2002) -
The contour line marks an elevation of -3790 meters, which is the elevation where researchers have the most geological evidence of shoreline features.
Academic text (2005) -
For example, walking along the contour line will lead to zero elevation change along the way, but the effort needed highly depends on the slope.
Academic text (2016) -
The effects of wind from the upper right corner, terrain (yellow contour lines), and trees (black objects) on snow distribution are apparent.
Academic text (2001) -
They went back to the topographical map and looked closely at the contour lines.
Fiction book (1990) -
Twenty-meter contour lines don't show much for terrain.
Fiction book (1999) -
For example, topographers would record a mountain as a set of measurements, which a cartographer would later condense into a set of contour lines, enabling the ready visual apprehension of the mountain as a topographic fact.
Academic text (2003) -
On the map, the contour lines indicate the steepness of the hills and valleys.
-
Using a topographic map, we identified the contour lines that outlined the highest peaks.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A row of words on a page, for example in an ad
4
5.3
A line on a map joining points at the same height above sea level
A line on a map that joins places with the same height or temperature
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally built from 'contour' (a line marking equal elevations) plus 'line' (a long, narrow mark); together they describe exactly a line showing equal elevation on a map. This is a straightforward noun–noun composition found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer the meaning.
Etymology
The term contour line comes from the idea of a contour, a shape that goes around something, and a line that joins points of the same 'height' on a map. Imagine drawing a ring around a hill at one level; the lines show the hill's shape, so contour lines tell you the land's 'height' and how 'steep' it is.