A Profile Is a View From the Side
A profile is a side view of a face, or a short account of someone. Keeping a low profile means not being noticed.
A profile is the outline of a face seen from the side, and by extension a short account of a person or organisation. The phrase *keep a low profile* uses the shape literally: something low does not stand out against the skyline, which is where the expression came from.
- A side view of a face. *A coin bearing her profile.*
- A short account of someone. *A newspaper profile.*
- A set of characteristics. *A risk profile.*
- A user account. *Update your profile.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | profile | A sharp profile. |
| Plural | profiles | Company profiles. |
| Verb | profile | Profile the candidates. |
| Noun | profiling | Racial profiling. |
| Phrase | high profile | A high-profile case. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The portrait shows her in profile.Side view.
- He kept a low profile after the trial.Avoided attention.
- The bank builds a risk profile for each client.A set of characteristics.
Profile in different fields
- Art — a side view
- Journalism — a feature about a person
- Engineering — a cross-sectional shape
- Data — a summary of characteristics
- Profiling — building a description from data, controversial when applied to people
From Italian *profilo*, an outline, from *profilare*, to draw in outline, from Latin *filum*, a thread — the same *filum* as in *file* and *filament*.
Where does *keep a low profile* come from?
From the literal shape: something low is harder to see against the horizon. It became figurative in the twentieth century.
Why is *profiling* controversial?
Because building assumptions about individuals from group characteristics can produce discrimination, particularly in policing.