figuration

[ fig-yuh-rey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of shaping into a particular figure.
2. the resulting figure or shape:

   emblematic figurations of the sun and the moon.

3. the act of representing figuratively.
4. a figurative representation:

   allegorical figurations.

5. the act of marking or adorning with a design.
6. Music.
   1. the employment of passing notes or other embellishments.
   2. the figuring of a bass part.

figuration

/ ˌfɪɡəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. music
   1. the employment of characteristic patterns of notes, esp in variations on a theme
   2. decoration or florid ornamentation in general
2. the act or an instance of representing figuratively, as by means of allegory or emblem
3. a figurative or emblematic representation
4. the act of decorating with a design

Word History and Origins

Origin of figuration¹

1400–50; late Middle English figuracioun < Latin figūrātiōn- (stem of figūrātiō ) “a shaping” ( figure ( def ) ) + -ion

Example Sentences

Most often, though, these 172 artists showing with 89 exhibitors are taking big swings in lots of directions — severe abstraction, obsessive figuration, decaying sneakers — so that making a list of standouts was nearly impossible.

From New York Times

Well before the current market craze over Black figuration, Thomas was exploring the Black female figure.

From New York Times

“I don’t think it’s possible to have a conversation about figuration without going back to this very fecund moment of Black artistic development.”

From New York Times

But I see these settings – and the characters who inhabit them – as figurations of death.

From Salon

His sculptures from this time look like whimsical industrial castoffs or colorful yet mangled theatrical masks, toeing the line between objects and bodies, abstraction and figuration.

From Los Angeles Times