An outline is a simple plan or drawing that shows only the main shape or main ideas, without all the details.
From “out” and “line,” originally meaning a line marking the outer edges of something in drawing. Over time, it was borrowed to describe the ‘shape’ of ideas in writing and planning.
An outline is like a skeleton: you can’t see all the details yet, but the whole structure is there. Good thinkers outline not just essays, but conversations, projects, and even their day.
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