From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcontourcon‧tour /ˈkɒntʊə $ ˈkɑːntʊr/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 SHAPEthe shape of the outer edges of something such as an area of land or someone’s body the contours of the hills the contours of her face2 (also contour line)SG a line on a map that shows points that are of equal heights above sea level
Examples from the Corpus
contour• Science in this sense came to stand as a meta-discourse, framed by the broader contours of the conjuncture.• Starting from my head, she smoothed the linen against my contours, asking for blessings from the protective spirits.• I used clay - I put my palm in clay to get the natural contours of my hand.• Man things were regular and patterned, and cut across the contours of the country and the flow of things.• Maybe it is these that enable them to feel within their bodies the contours of the earth's magnetic forces.• The seat is adjustable to fit the contours of your back.• An architect planned for a house that follows the contours of the hillside.• He spreads such figures, with great care for the contour which is echoed by supple and delicate inner detail.• A topographical map shows the contours of the earth's surface.• Stripped to the waist, the contours of their musculature were faintly graven with decades-old surgical scars.• The letters curved and dipped with the contours of his chest.Origin contour (1600-1700) French Italian contorno, from contornare “to round off, draw”, from Latin com- ( → COM-) + tornare ( → TURN1) 