Figurative
The degree to which a form remains recognizable as, and referential to, a real-world object.
In practice
Figurative describes how recognizably a form still depicts a real thing. It is a scale rather than a switch: a detailed drawing of a dog is highly figurative, a simple dog pictogram on a park sign less so, and a few curves merely suggesting a dog least of all. Designers choose a level to suit the purpose, often more figurative for a children's book and more reduced for wayfinding icons.
Often confused with Abstraction
Figurative measures how recognizable a form still is; abstraction is the process of removing detail, which moves a form down that scale.
Try this
Sketch a tree three ways, realistic, simplified and nearly abstract, and note where it stops reading as a tree.