profile

Etymology

From French profil, from Italian profilo (“a border”), later also proffilo (“a side-face, profile”), from Latin pro (“before”) + filo (“a line, stroke, thread”), from filum (“a thread”); see file. Doublet of purfle.

noun

1. (countable) The outermost shape, view, or edge of an object.
   His fingers traced the profile of the handle.
2. (countable) The shape, view, or shadow of a person's head from the side; a side view.
   The brooch showed the profile of a Victorian woman.
   Driver's licenses have a photograph of the person on them, which is in full face if the person is above legal drinking age, or in profile if not.
3. (countable) A summary or collection of information, especially about a person
   Law enforcement assembled a profile of the suspect.
4. (Internet, countable) A specific page or field in which users can provide various types of personal information in software or Internet systems.
   I just updated my Facebook profile to show I got engaged.
5. (figurative, uncountable) Reputation, prominence; noticeability.
   Acting is, by nature, profession in which one must keep a high profile.
6. (uncountable) The amount by which something protrudes.
   Choose a handle with a low profile so it does not catch on things.
7. (archaeology) A smoothed (e.g., troweled or brushed) vertical surface of an excavation showing evidence of at least one feature or diagnostic specimen; the graphic recording of such as by sketching, photographing, etc.
8. Character; totality of related characteristics; signature; status (especially in scientific, technical, or military uses).
   What's the thermal profile on that thing?
9. (architecture) A section of any member, made at right angles with its main lines, showing the exact shape of mouldings etc.
10. (civil engineering) A drawing exhibiting a vertical section of the ground along a surveyed line, or graded work, as of a railway, showing elevations, depressions, grades, etc.
11. (military slang) An exemption from certain types of duties due to injury or disability.

verb

1. (transitive) To create a summary or collection of information about (a person, etc.).
   A resource that profiles the important language of secondary disciplines by adapting the methods of EAP research could therefore be very useful for such pedagogy. 2018, Clarence Green, James Lambert, “Advancing disciplinary literacy through English for academic purposes: Discipline-specific wordlists, collocations and word families for eight secondary subjects”, in Journal of English for Academic Purposes, volume 35, →DOI, page 106
2. To act based on such a summary, especially one that is a stereotype; to engage in profiling.
3. (transitive) To draw in profile or outline.
4. (transitive, engineering) To give a definite form by chiselling, milling, etc.
5. (computing, transitive) To measure the performance of various parts of (a program) so as to locate bottlenecks.
   […] a complete and intuitive profiler that supports numerous types of profiling modes and profilable applications. 2006, Dr. Dobb's Journal