ENGLISH
REFERENCE

picture

n. countable
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈpɪktʃɝ// UK //pˈɪktʃɐ// pic·ture Archaic General-service Informal

n. a drawing, painting, or photograph of something. You use this word when you want to talk about what you see on a screen or on paper.

n. a visual representation of a person, object, or scene, such as a painting, drawing, or photograph. In digital contexts, it refers to a graphical image displayed on a screen.


SIMPLE

She took a beautiful picture of the sunset.

CONTEXTUAL

The textbook includes a clear picture of the human heart to help students understand its structure.

COMPLEX

The artist spent several months working on a single picture, meticulously layering oil paints to capture the subtle play of light across the landscape.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English pycture, from Old French picture, itself from Latin pictūra (“the art of painting, a painting”), from pingō (“to paint”). Doublet of pictura.

Usage

Commonly used with the verbs 'take' for photographs and 'draw' or 'paint' for artwork.

Idioms4 entries

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