Webster's Unabridged Dictionary

by Various

14. (Music) (a) Any short succession of notes, either as melody or as a group of chords, which produce a single complete and distinct impression. Grove. (b) A form of melody or accompaniment kept up through a strain or passage; a musical or motive; a florid embellishment.

Note: Figures are often written upon the staff in music to denote the kind of measure. They are usually in the form of a fraction, the upper figure showing how many notes of the kind indicated by the lower are contained in one measure or bar. Thus, 2/4 signifies that the measure contains two quarter notes. The following are the principal figures used for this purpose: —2/22/42/8 4/22/44/8 3/23/43/8 6/46/46/8 Academy figure, Canceled figures, Lay figure, etc. See under Academy, Cancel, Lay, etc. — Figure caster, or Figure flinger, an astrologer. This figure caster." Milton. — Figure flinging, the practice of astrology. — Figure-of-eight knot, a knot shaped like the figure 8. See Illust. under Knot. — Figure painting, a picture of the human figure, or the act or art of depicting the human figure. — Figure stone (Min.), agalmatolite. — Figure weaving, the art or process of weaving figured fabrics. — To cut a figure, to make a display. [Colloq.] Sir W. Scott.

FIGURE
Fig"ure, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Figured; p. pr. & vb. n. Figuring.]
Etym: [F. figurer, L. figurare, fr. figura. See Figure, n.]

1. To represent by a figure, as to form or mold; to make an image of, either palpable or ideal; also, to fashion into a determinate form; to shape. If love, alas! be pain I bear, No thought can figure, and no tongue declare.Prior.

2. To embellish with design; to adorn with figures. The vaulty top of heaven Figured quite o'er with burning meteors. Shak.

3. To indicate by numerals; also, to compute. As through a crystal glass the figured hours are seen. Dryden.

4. To represent by a metaphor; to signify or symbolize. Whose white vestments figure innocence. Shak.

5. To prefigure; to foreshow. In this the heaven figures some event. Shak.

6. (Mus.) (a) To write over or under the bass, as figures or other characters, in order to indicate the accompanying chords. (b) To embellish. To figure out, to solve; to compute or find the result of. — To figure up, to add; to reckon; to compute the amount of.

FIGURE
Fig"ure, v. t.