Picture

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈpɪk(t)ʃə/

Definitions

1. A visual representation created by photography, painting, or drawing that depicts a scene, person, or object ; a mental impression or image formed in the mind ; a portrayal or description that conveys an idea or situation
2. An image produced by capturing light or crafting by hand to show people, places, or things ; a concept or image held mentally to represent something ; a depiction or characterization meant to illustrate or explain a subject
3. A likeness or graphic depiction made through artistic or photographic means ; an internal visualization or memory of an event, object, or person ; a narrative or depiction that helps understand or visualize a circumstance or idea

Etymology: The Latin "pingere" meant to paint, and its derived noun "pictura" covered both the act of painting and the finished painting itself. That double sense is the key to how "picture" grew. English took the word through Middle English, and it came to mean a painted or drawn likeness, then broadened to any visual image, including a photograph, a film, or a mental scene described in words. The word has a twin in English. "Pictura" survives as a doublet, a learned borrowing that kept the Latin form almost intact and is used mainly in technical or art-historical contexts, while "picture" came in as the everyday form. Both descend from the same root, so the two words are relatives that took different routes into the language.

Synonyms: image, illustration, photo, depiction, portrait

Antonyms: reality, truth