configural
Meaning
Relating to or involving the overall arrangement, shape, or pattern formed by the relationships between parts.
Structure
Usage
The psychologist studied the configural properties of the face, rather than its individual features.
Their analysis focused on the configural similarity between the two complex data sets.
In this theory, a melody is understood as a configural whole, not just a sequence of notes.
Etymology
The word 'configural' is a modern adjective formed from the noun 'configuration'. Its core is the Latin root 'figura', meaning shape or form, which itself traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root dheigh-, meaning "to form, build, or knead clay". The prefix 'con-' (from Latin 'cum', meaning "with" or "together") was added to imply things being shaped or formed together into a whole. The suffix '-al' was then appended to convert the noun into an adjective. Thus, the literal sense of "relating to a shape formed together" evolved into the modern psychological and technical meaning pertaining to the overall arrangement or pattern created by the interrelationship of components.
Analysis
- con- (Latin origin): A prefix meaning "together" or "with". - figur (Latin origin): A root derived from 'figura', meaning "shape", "form", or "arrangement". - al (Latin origin): A suffix forming adjectives meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by".