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rep·re·sen·ta·tion

Rep•re•sen•ta•tion.

• macrograph - A life-size drawing or representation.
• simulacrum - In the original sense of the word, it was simply a representation of something, such as an oil painting or marble statue.
• representational art - Art that seeks to depict the physical appearance of reality; also called objective art and figurative art.
• logogram , logograph , grammalogue - A logogram or logograph is the same as a grammalogue, a word represented by a single sign, like $.

Representation

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representation

the act of representing.

the state of being represented.

the expression or designation by some term, character, symbol, or the like.

action or speech on behalf of a person, group, business house, state, or the like by an agent, deputy, or representative.

the state or fact of being so represented: to demand representation on a board of directors.

Government . the state, fact, or right of being represented by delegates having a voice in legislation or government.

the body or number of representatives, as of a constituency.

Diplomacy .

the act of speaking or negotiating on behalf of a state.

an utterance on behalf of a state.

presentation to the mind, as of an idea or image.

a mental image or idea so presented; concept.

the act of portrayal, picturing, or other rendering in visible form.

a picture, figure, statue, etc.

the production or a performance of a play or the like, as on the stage.

Often representations. a description or statement, as of things true or alleged.

a statement of facts, reasons, etc., made in appealing or protesting; a protest or remonstrance.

Law . an implication or statement of fact to which legal liability may attach if material: a representation of authority.

Origin of representation

Other words from representation.

• non·rep·re·sen·ta·tion, noun
• o·ver·rep·re·sen·ta·tion, noun
• pre·rep·re·sen·ta·tion, noun
• self-rep·re·sen·ta·tion, noun
• un·der·rep·re·sen·ta·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for representation

/ ( ˌrɛprɪzɛnˈteɪʃən ) /

the act or an instance of representing or the state of being represented

anything that represents, such as a verbal or pictorial portrait

anything that is represented, such as an image brought clearly to mind

the principle by which delegates act for a constituency

a body of representatives

contract law a statement of fact made by one party to induce another to enter into a contract

an instance of acting for another, on his authority, in a particular capacity, such as executor or administrator

a dramatic production or performance

(often plural) a statement of facts, true or alleged, esp one set forth by way of remonstrance or expostulation

linguistics an analysis of a word, sentence, etc, into its constituents : phonetic representation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Definition of 'representation'

• representation

Video: pronunciation of representation

representation in British English

Representation in american english, examples of 'representation' in a sentence representation, cobuild collocations representation, trends of representation.

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In other languages representation

• American English : representation / rɛprɪzɛnˈteɪʃən /
• Brazilian Portuguese : representação
• Chinese : 代表
• European Spanish : representación
• French : représentation
• German : Vertretung
• Italian : rappresentanza
• Japanese : 代表
• Korean : 대표
• European Portuguese : representação
• Latin American Spanish : representación
• Thai : การมีตัวแทน

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• represent value
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• ensure representation
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Definition of representation noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

representation

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representation noun 1

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What does the noun representation mean?

There are 19 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun representation , three of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

representation has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

How common is the noun representation ?

How is the noun representation pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun representation come from.

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the noun representation is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for representation is from around 1450, in St. Elizabeth of Spalbeck .

representation is of multiple origins. Either (i) a borrowing from French. Or (ii) a borrowing from Latin.

Etymons: French representation ; Latin repraesentātiōn- , repraesentātiō .

Nearby entries

• reprehensory, adj. 1576–1825
• repremiation, n. 1611
• represent, n. a1500–1635
• represent, v.¹ c1390–
• re-present, v.² 1564–
• representable, adj. & n. 1630–
• representamen, n. 1677–
• representance, n. 1565–
• representant, n. 1622–
• representant, adj. 1851–82
• representation, n.¹ c1450–
• re-presentation, n.² 1805–
• representational, adj. 1850–
• representationalism, n. 1846–
• representationalist, adj. & n. 1846–
• representationary, adj. 1856–
• representationism, n. 1842–
• representationist, n. & adj. 1842–
• representation theory, n. 1928–
• representative, adj. & n. a1475–
• representative fraction, n. 1860–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for representation, n.¹.

representation, n.¹ was revised in December 2009.

representation, n.¹ was last modified in March 2024.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

• further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into representation, n.¹ in March 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1906)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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representation

Quick reference.

[Latin repraesentare ‘to make present or manifest’]

1. Depicting or ‘making present’ something which is absent (e.g. people, places, events, or abstractions) in a different form: as in paintings, photographs, films, or language, rather than as a replica . See also description; compare absent presence.

2. The function of a sign or symbol of ‘standing for’ that to which it refers (its referent).

3. The various processes of production involved in generating representational texts in any medium, including the mass media (e.g. the filming, editing, and broadcasting of a television documentary). Such framings of the concept privilege authorial intention. See also auteur theory; authorial determinism; sender-oriented communication.

4. A text (in any medium) which is the product of such processes, usually regarded as amenable to textual analysis (‘a representation’).

5. What is explicitly or literally described, depicted, or denoted in a sign, text, or discourse in any medium as distinct from its symbolic meaning, metaphoric meaning, or connotations: its manifest referential content, as in ‘a representation of…’ See also mimesis; naturalism; referentiality.

6. How (in what ways) something is depicted. However ‘realistic’ texts may seem to be, they involve some form of transformation. Representations are unavoidably selective (none can ever ‘show the whole picture’), and within a limited frame, some things are foregrounded and others backgrounded: see also framing; generic representation; selective representation; stylization. In factual genres in the mass media, critics understandably focus on issues such as truth, accuracy, bias, and distortion ( see also reflectionism), or on whose realities are being represented and whose are being denied. See also dominant ideology; manipulative model; stereotyping; symbolic erasure.

7. The relation of a sign or text in any medium to its referent. In reflectionist framings, the transparent re- presentation, reflection, recording, transcription, or reproduction of a pre-existing reality ( see also imaginary signifier; mimesis; realism). In constructionist framings, the transformation of particular social realities, subjectivities, or identities in processes which are ostensibly merely re- presentations ( see also constitutive models; interpellation; reality construction). Some postmodern theorists avoid the term representation completely because the epistemological assumptions of realism seem to be embedded within it.

8. A cycle of processes of textual and meaning production and reception situated in a particular sociohistorical context ( see also circuit of communication; circuit of culture). This includes the active processes in which audiences engage in the interpretation of texts ( see also active audience theory; beholder's share; picture perception). Semiotics highlights representational codes which need to be decoded ( see also encoding/decoding model; photographic codes; pictorial codes; realism), and related to a relevant context ( see also Jakobson's model).

9. (narratology) Showing as distinct from telling (narration).

10. (mental representation) The process and product of encoding perceptual experience in the mind: see dual coding theory; gestalt laws; mental representation; perceptual codes; selective perception; selective retention.

11. A relationship in which one person (a representative) acting on behalf of another (as in law), or a political principle in which one person acts, in some sense, on behalf of a group of people, normally having been chosen by them to do so (as in representative democracies).

From:   representation   in  A Dictionary of Media and Communication »

Subjects: Media studies

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representation

Dictionary Definition of 'representation'

The act or process of presenting or depicting something in a particular way. "The film director aimed to provide an authentic representation of a historical event."

Detailed Meaning of 'representation'

It involves creating a visual, auditory, or conceptual portrayal that stands in for or symbolizes an object, idea, or concept. Representations can take various forms, such as images, symbols, words, or models, and are often used to convey information, convey meaning, or communicate complex ideas. They serve as a means of understanding and interpreting the world around us, allowing us to make sense of abstract or intangible concepts by giving them a tangible form. Representations are fundamental in fields like art, literature, mathematics, and science, where they enable us to grasp and communicate complex concepts, relationships, and phenomena. They play a crucial role in human cognition, enabling us to perceive, analyze, and communicate our experiences, knowledge, and perspectives effectively.

History and Etymology of 'representation'

The noun 'representation' draws its etymological roots from the Latin word 'representatio,' which is a combination of 're,' meaning 'again' or 'back,' and 'presentatio,' derived from 'praesentare,' meaning 'to present' or 'to show.' In Latin, 'representatio' signified the act of presenting something again or depicting it in a particular manner. As the term evolved into English, it retained this fundamental concept, referring to the act or process of presenting or depicting something in a specific way. The etymology of 'representation' underscores the idea of showing or presenting something anew, emphasizing how information or concepts can be conveyed through visual, symbolic, or verbal means to convey a particular perspective or portrayal.

Examples of 'representation' in a Sentence

1. The graph provided a visual representation of the data trends. 2. The actor's portrayal of the character was a true representation of his talent. 3. The museum displayed an extensive representation of ancient artifacts. 4. The political party claimed to be a true representation of the people's interests. 5. The teacher used a diagram as a representation to explain the complex scientific concept. 6. The painting offered a vivid representation of a sun-drenched landscape. 7. Legal representation is essential in complex court cases. 8. The sculpture provided a striking representation of human emotion. 9. The committee discussed fair representation in the election. 10. Her speech was a powerful representation of women's rights. 11. The map provides a clear representation of geographical features. 12. The movie's casting was criticized for a lack of diversity in representation. 13. The data visualization offered a graphical representation of trends. 14. Art has the power to offer abstract representation of feelings. 15. The student's project included a detailed representation of the solar system. 16. The novel's characters serve as a representation of different personality types. 17. The exhibit featured an interactive representation of ancient history. 18. In democracy, representation of the people's voices is paramount. 19. The documentary explored the media's representation of political events. 20. The museum displayed a historical representation of the local culture. 21. Accurate representation in textbooks is crucial for education. 22. The artist's portfolio showcases a wide range of artistic representations. 23. Fair representation in decision-making is essential for social justice. 24. The infographic provided a simplified representation of complex data. 25. His artwork challenged traditional representations of beauty.

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Computer Science > Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition

Title: himap: hybrid representation learning for end-to-end vectorized hd map construction.

Abstract: Vectorized High-Definition (HD) map construction requires predictions of the category and point coordinates of map elements (e.g. road boundary, lane divider, pedestrian crossing, etc.). State-of-the-art methods are mainly based on point-level representation learning for regressing accurate point coordinates. However, this pipeline has limitations in obtaining element-level information and handling element-level failures, e.g. erroneous element shape or entanglement between elements. To tackle the above issues, we propose a simple yet effective HybrId framework named HIMap to sufficiently learn and interact both point-level and element-level information. Concretely, we introduce a hybrid representation called HIQuery to represent all map elements, and propose a point-element interactor to interactively extract and encode the hybrid information of elements, e.g. point position and element shape, into the HIQuery. Additionally, we present a point-element consistency constraint to enhance the consistency between the point-level and element-level information. Finally, the output point-element integrated HIQuery can be directly converted into map elements' class, point coordinates, and mask. We conduct extensive experiments and consistently outperform previous methods on both nuScenes and Argoverse2 datasets. Notably, our method achieves $77.8$ mAP on the nuScenes dataset, remarkably superior to previous SOTAs by $8.3$ mAP at least.

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What is Good Friday? What the holy day means for Christians around the world

Christians around the world observe Good Friday two days before Easter, but what is it, and why do they commemorate the holy day?

The holiday is part of Holy Week, which leads up to Easter Sunday. Palm Sunday kicks off the series of Christian holy days that commemorate the Crucifixion and celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection.

"Good Friday has been, for centuries now, the heart of the Christian message because it is through the death of Jesus Christ that Christians believe that we have been forgiven of our sins," Daniel Alvarez, an associate teaching professor of religious studies at Florida International University, told USA TODAY.

What is Holy Saturday? What the day before Easter means for Christians around the world

When is Good Friday?

Good Friday is always the Friday before Easter. It's the second-to-last day of Holy Week.

In 2024, Good Friday will fall on March 29.

What is Good Friday?

Good Friday is the day Christ was sacrificed on the cross. According to Britannica , it is a day for "sorrow, penance, and fasting."

"Good Friday is part of something else," Gabriel Radle, an assistant professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, previously told USA TODAY. "It's its own thing, but it's also part of something bigger."

Are Good Friday and Passover related?

Alvarez says that Good Friday is directly related to the Jewish holiday, Passover.

Passover , or Pesach, is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.

"The whole Christian idea of atoning for sin, that Jesus is our atonement, is strictly derived from the Jewish Passover tradition," said Alvarez.

How is that possible?

According to the professor, Passover celebrates the day the "Angel of Death" passed over the homes of Israelites who were enslaved by the Egyptians. He said that the Bible states when the exodus happened, families were told to paint their doors with lamb's blood so that God would spare the lives of their firstborn sons.

Alvarez says this is why Christians call Jesus the "lamb of God." He adds that the symbolism of the "blood of the lamb" ties the two stories together and is why Christians believe God sacrificed his firstborn son. Because, through his blood, humanity is protected from the "wrath of a righteous God that cannot tolerate sin."

He adds that the stories of the exodus and the Crucifixion not only further tie the stories together but also emphasize just how powerful the sacrifice of the firstborn and the shedding of blood are in religion.

"Jesus is the firstborn, so the whole idea of the death of the firstborn is crucial," said Alvarez.

He adds that the sacrifice of the firstborn, specifically a firstborn son, comes from an ancient and "primitive" idea that the sacrifice unleashes "tremendous power that is able to fend off any kind of force, including the wrath of God."

Why Is Good Friday so somber?

Alavarez says people might think this holiday is more depressing or sad than others because of how Catholics commemorate the Crucifixion.

"I think [it's] to a level that some people might think is morbid," said Alvarez.

He said Catholics not only meditate on Jesus' death, but primarily focus on the suffering he faced in the events that led up to his Crucifixion. That's what makes it such a mournful day for people.

But, the professor says that Jesus' suffering in crucial to Christianity as a whole.

"The suffering of Christ is central to the four Gospels," said Alvarez. "Everything else is incidental."

According to the professor, statues that use blood to emphasize the way Jesus and Catholic saints suffered is very common in Spanish and Hispanic Countries, but not as prevalent in American churches.

Do you fast on Good Friday?

Father Dustin Dought, the executive director of the Secretariat of Divine Worship of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, previously told USA TODAY that Good Friday and Ash Wednesday are the two days in the year that Roman Catholics are obliged to fast.

"This practice is a way of emptying ourselves so that we can be filled with God," said Dought.

What do you eat on Good Friday?

Many Catholics do not eat meat on any Friday during Lent. Anything with flesh is off-limits. Dought says this practice is to honor the way Jesus sacrificed his flesh on Good Friday.

Meat that is off limits includes:

Instead, many Catholics will eat fish. According to the Marine Stewardship Council , this is allowed because fish is considered to be a different type of flesh.

Contributing: Jordan Mendoza ; USA TODAY

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Synonyms and antonyms of representation in English

Representation, illustration.

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U.S.-Funded Broadcaster Leaves Hong Kong, Citing Security Law

Radio Free Asia, which ran a small operation in Hong Kong, said its staff was at risk because of the law’s sweeping definition of “external interference.”

By David Pierson

Reporting from Hong Kong

The United States-funded news service Radio Free Asia said on Friday that it has closed its office in Hong Kong because of concerns about the city’s recently enacted national security law that targets so-called foreign interference.

Hong Kong’s new national security law, which was passed with unusual speed earlier this month, raised “serious questions about our ability to operate in safety,” the broadcaster’s president and chief executive, Bay Fang, said in a statement . Radio Free Asia said that it had relocated some employees from Hong Kong to Taiwan, the United States or elsewhere and laid others off.

The authorities in China have long accused Radio Free Asia, also known as R.F.A., of being a front for the U.S. government. In its statement, the news organization noted that officials in Hong Kong had also recently referred to R.F.A. as a “foreign force” in the context of how it covered the discussion over the new security law.

Hong Kong enacted the security law on March 23 , giving the city’s authorities more power to investigate such offenses as “external interference” and the theft of state secrets. The city’s officials, including its security chief, Chris Tang, have insisted that freedoms would be protected and the law would target only national security threats. The government declined a request to comment on Radio Free Asia’s departure, pointing instead to national security laws in other countries to justify legislation in Hong Kong.

“To single out Hong Kong and suggest that journalists would only experience concerns when operating here but not in other countries would be grossly biased, if not outrageous,” a government spokesman said in an emailed statement.

But advocates of press freedom say the laws significantly raise the risks for journalists operating in the city. Its vague definition of external interference can be broadly applied to regular journalistic work, the activists say .

Hong Kong’s status as one of Asia’s most vibrant capitals of free and independent media has eroded precipitously since Beijing imposed a sweeping crackdown on the city in response to antigovernment protests that erupted there in 2019.

In 2020, China directly imposed a national security law on the city that effectively silenced dissent there. Newsrooms were raided and editors arrested, forcing the closure of Apple Daily, a popular pro-democracy newspaper, as well as smaller, independent outlets such as Stand News and Citizen News.

The founder of Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai, is currently on trial on national security charges and is accused of masterminding the 2019 demonstrations. Two senior editors for Stand News are also on trial, accused of publishing what the authorities have called seditious material, which includes profiles of pro-democracy activists.

The government also imposed an overhaul of Radio Television Hong Kong, a public broadcaster that once was known for reporting critically on officials; programs were canceled and staff members replaced.

This year, as Hong Kong moved swiftly to pass its own security laws, the Hong Kong Journalists Association warned of a chilling effect. Leaks from government sources regarding personnel changes, financial budgets, police investigations and other matters in the public interest could be subject to national security laws, the group warned.

Officials say those concerns are misplaced and that there are sufficient safeguards in the laws to protect regular reporting.

In the past months, the Hong Kong government has taken a far more adversarial stance against foreign media. Officials have lashed out about a guest essay published in The New York Times and an editorial by The Washington Post as well as news articles by the BBC and Bloomberg about the national security legislation, describing the reports as scaremongering. (In 2020, The Times announced it would relocate its Hong Kong-based digital news operation to Seoul after the first security law was imposed.)

Cédric Alviani, the Asia-Pacific bureau director of Reporters Without Borders, said Hong Kong’s national security laws were placing pressure on local journalists to censor themselves to avoid crossing the government’s “blurry red lines.”

“What we’re seeing is the Chinese system of repression against the right to information and independent journalism is being applied more and more in Hong Kong,” Mr. Alviani said.

Radio Free Asia said its audience for content in Cantonese, the main language spoken in the city, grew sharply after the closures of Apple Daily and Stand News in 2021. Even so, it had already been suspending some of its Cantonese reports and programming because of concerns over China’s national security law.

The news outlet ran a small operation in Hong Kong; Ms. Fang, the president, said that it would retain its media license there and would cover Hong Kong remotely.

Radio Free Asia denies that it serves as a proxy for Washington. Though it is funded by the U.S. government’s Agency for Global Media, it says it maintains a legislative firewall that bars journalistic interference from U.S. officials.

Olivia Wang contributed research.

David Pierson covers Chinese foreign policy and China’s economic and cultural engagement with the world. He has been a journalist for more than two decades. More about David Pierson