figurent

Figurent is a neologism used in discussions of visual rhetoric and data visualization to denote a class of composite figures that merge literal data with figurative meaning. The term is not widely standardized and does not appear in major dictionaries as of 2025.

Origin and usage: The word emerged in online design and linguistics forums in the early 2020s. It is typically used as a descriptor within scholarly or practitioner texts that explore how visuals convey multiple layers of meaning beyond raw numbers.

Etymology: The coinage blends the English root figure with a French-sounding suffix, and it resonates with the noun figurative. Some writers link it conceptually to the French verb figurer, meaning to depict or illustrate, though figurent as a term is not tied to a single historical source.

Definition: Figurent refers to a figure or graphic that simultaneously encodes quantitative data and figurative content, such as metaphor, symbolism, or narrative cues. In practice, a figurent is a graphic designed to convey both literal information and an interpretive message, often through layering imagery, color palettes, typography, and concise text.

Applications: In data journalism, education, and design critique, figurents are discussed as tools to enhance engagement and memory by leveraging multiple perceptual cues. Critics warn of potential overload or misinterpretation if the figurent’s layers are not clearly linked or appropriately contextualized.

Examples: A map that uses iconography to represent social indicators, with an overlaid metaphor like shoreline imagery to suggest vulnerability; or a chart where color meaning shifts with context to emphasize a narrative beyond the primary data.

See also: Figurative language, Visual rhetoric, Data visualization, Information design.