descripción

Descripción is a noun in Spanish that refers to the act of describing or to the result of that act. It encompasses a detailed account of the characteristics, properties, appearance, or function of something, typically conveyed through language, but it can also be conveyed through other media such as images or sounds. A description aims to render a phenomenon intelligible to the reader or listener by listing observable details, relations, and context.

Etymology and scope: The term comes from Latin descriptio, from describere, meaning to write down or sketch. In Spanish, descripció n (with the accent on ó) has been used since medieval times and remains common in contemporary usage across various domains, from everyday speech to professional and academic writing.

Uso y campos: In everyday language, a description explains what something looks like or how it works. In literature, descriptive passages create imagery and mood by mobilizing sensory detail. In science and documentation, a description records observable attributes of objects, specimens, processes, or datasets. In information science, descriptions appear as metadata fields that accompany data items to aid search and understanding. The term also appears in visual and performance arts to denote portrayals or depictions of subjects.

Gramática y matices: Descripción es un sustantivo femenino: una descripción, varias descripciones. Se acompaña comúnmente de adjetivos como detallada, precisa, literal o general. Se emplea con la preposición de: descripción de un objeto; o de, para indicar el tema descrito.

Notas relacionadas: En otros idiomas, el equivalente es descrição (portugués) o description (inglés). En contextos formales, puede contrastarse con explicación, que busca justificar causas y principios, mientras la descripción se centra en lo observable.