Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
OUTLINE
I. noun
Date: 1662
1. a line that marks the outer limits of an object or figure ; boundary , shape ,
2. a style of drawing in which contours are marked without shading, a sketch in outline,
3. a condensed treatment of a particular subject , a summary of a written work ; synopsis , a preliminary account of a project ; plan , a fishing line set out overnight, Synonyms: see: outline
II. transitive verb
Date: circa 1790
to draw the outline of, to indicate the principal features or different parts of