contour line

SEE SYNONYMS FOR contour line ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a line joining points of equal elevation on a surface.
the representation of such a line on a map.
Mathematics. a line parallel to a trace. Compare trace1(def 11).
Also called contour, level curve, level line.

Origin of contour line

First recorded in 1835–45

Words nearby contour line

contour, contour curtain, contour feather, contour integration, contour interval, contour line, contour map, contour ploughing, contour sheet, contr., contra

Words related to contour line

contour, hachure, isoline

Example sentences from the Web for contour line

  • The contour-line of 0, or datum level, is the coastal boundary of any land form.

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 2 |Various

  • It follows the 600-feet contour-line and winds 211 therefore exactly round the outline of the hill.

    The Old Road |Hilaire Belloc

  • It ran straight along the 300-feet contour-line, and took the southern edge of a wood called Brockham Warren.

    The Old Road |Hilaire Belloc

British Dictionary definitions for contour line

contour line

noun

a line on a map or chart joining points of equal height or depth Often shortened to: contour

Scientific definitions for contour line

contour line
[ kŏn′tur′ ]

A line on a map joining points of equal elevation above a given level, usually mean sea level.♦ The change in elevation between one contour line and the next is the contour interval.