Plural: faint sketches, vague suggestions, or shadowy outlines of something; hints or prefigurations of ideas not yet fully developed.
From Latin 'adumbratio,' the noun form of 'adumbrare.' The -tion suffix converts the verb to a noun describing the action or result.
Art historians use 'adumbrations' to describe Renaissance sketches in silverpoint or charcoal—literal shadows that adumbrate the final painting. The word perfectly bridges its literal origin (shadows) and figurative meaning (vague ideas).
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