Omlijnt

Omlijnt is a Dutch verb meaning to outline or delineate. The infinitive form is omlijnen; the present-tense third-person singular form is omlijnt, as in De kunstenaar omlijnt de contouren met een dunne lijn. The word can refer to drawing the outer edges of a physical object, shape, or area, as well as to marking the boundaries on a diagram, map, or plan.

In literal use, omlijnen describes tracing or drawing around something to define its outline. In figurative use, it can mean to summarize or to define the main points, scope, or boundaries of a concept, proposal, or argument. The verb is common in design, cartography, architecture, journalism, and planning contexts.

Omlijnen is a transitive verb that takes a direct object. It is typically used with concrete nouns (for example, a shape or a map) and with abstract nouns (for example, a plan or a report) when those elements are being defined or highlighted. Conjugation follows regular patterns for Dutch weak verbs: ik omlijn, jij/je omlijnt, hij omlijnt; wij omlijnen, jullie omlijnen, zij omlijnen. The simple past is omlIjnde, and the past participle is omlijnd, used with hebben or zijn in compound tenses (for example, De tekening is omlijnd). The etymology traces to om- (around) and lijn (line), reflecting the sense of drawing a line around something to mark its limits.