sketch / skech/ • n. 1. a rough or unfinished drawing or painting, often made to assist in making a more finished picture: a charcoal sketch. ∎  a brief written or spoken account or description of someone or something, giving only basic details: a biographical sketch of Ernest Hemingway. ∎  a rough or unfinished version of any creative work.2. a short humorous play or performance, consisting typically of one scene in a comedy program.3. inf. a comical or amusing person or thing.• v. [tr.] make a rough drawing of: as they talked, Modigliani began to sketch her | [intr.] Jeanne sketched and painted whenever she had the time. ∎  give a brief account or general outline of: they sketched out the prosecution case. ∎  perform (a gesture) with one's hands or body: he sketched a graceful bow in her direction.DERIVATIVES: sketch·er n.

sketch·book / ˈskechˌboŏk/ • n. (also sketch·pad / -ˌpad/ ) a pad or book of drawing paper for sketching on. ∎  a book of drawings or literary sketches.

sketch (Ger. Skizze; Fr. esquisse).
1. Short piece, usually for pf. and often pictorial in intention, e.g. ‘Woodland Sketch’.

2. Composer's preliminary jottings, out of which work is built, of great fascination to mus. scholars as showing workings of composer's mind (e.g. Beethoven's sketchbooks show how a comp. went through many stages over several years).

sketch rough drawing; brief account or description. XVII. — Du. schets or G. skizze — It. schizzo, f. schizzare make a sketch :- Rom. *schediāre, f. L. schedius — Gr. skhédios done extempore.
Hence vb. XVII.