# picture

Pronunciation: US say "PIK-chur" /ˈpɪk(t)ʃəɹ/; UK say "PIK-chuh" /ˈpɪk(t)ʃə/

## Noun

1. A photograph; an image captured with a camera.
   - Simple: A photo you take with a camera.
   - _She snapped a quick picture of the sunset._
   - _He uploaded all his vacation pictures to the cloud._
2. A drawing, painting, print, or other image of a person, scene, or object made on a surface.
   - Simple: An image of something, such as a drawing or painting.
   - _He hung a framed picture above the fireplace._
   - _The gallery displayed pictures from several local artists._
3. The overall state of affairs; the situation as a whole.
   - Simple: How things are at a certain time or place.
   - _The financial picture improved after the merger._
   - _Analysts struggled to get a complete picture of the market._
4. A motion picture; a cinematic film.
   - Simple: A film or movie.
   - _The studio's latest picture broke box-office records._
   - _She won an award for her role in a wartime picture._
7. An account or portrayal that conveys a sense of what something is like.
   - Simple: A description that helps you understand what something is like.
   - _The report paints a bleak picture of the city's housing market._
   - _Interviews with former employees gave investigators a fuller picture of how the company was run._
8. A mental image; a representation formed in the imagination.
   - Simple: An image of something that you form in your mind.
   - _The witness held a vivid picture of the events in her mind._
   - _Reading the letter, he formed a picture of their new home._
9. What a television, computer or other screen displays, especially as judged by how sharp or good it looks.
   - Simple: The image on a TV or computer screen, especially how clear or good it looks.
   - _If the picture looks washed out, try lowering the brightness in the display settings._
   - _Reviewers praised the monitor's picture quality but complained about its weak speakers._
10. The cinema considered as a form of entertainment, especially an outing to watch films. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: The movies as entertainment, especially going to a theater to watch a film.
   - _After dinner they decided to head to the pictures rather than stay home._
   - _In her childhood, a trip to the pictures was the highlight of the week._
11. A lovely or striking sight; something delightful to look at.
   - Simple: A lovely sight that is a pleasure to look at.
   - _Dressed for the gala, she was an absolute picture._
   - _In late spring, with roses climbing every fence and the lawn freshly cut, the old garden was a picture._
12. Someone or something that perfectly embodies a quality or type; a paragon.
   - Simple: A perfect example of some quality or kind.
   - _Just out of the hospital, she was the picture of health._
   - _He remained the very picture of confidence throughout the trial._

## Verb

5. To form a mental image of something; to imagine or envision it.
   - Simple: To see something clearly in your mind.
   - _Close your eyes and picture yourself on stage._
   - _She pictured the conversation going badly before it even began._
6. To show someone or something in a picture or photograph, or to describe it so vividly that it can be clearly imagined.
   - Simple: To show something in a picture, or to describe it so well that people can imagine it clearly.
   - _The mural pictures the city's founding in vivid detail._
   - _Medieval manuscripts often picture angels with elaborate wings._

## Noun

13. A figure or model; a shaped representation of something. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A figure or model of something.
14. Painting as an art form; the representation of subjects by means of paint. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The art and skill of making paintings.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In the COBOL programming language, a format string that defines how a data item is displayed or stored.
- (noun) A sample portion of an illegal drug.

## Origin

Latin pictūra ("the art of painting, a painting"), formed from pingō ("I paint"), is the source of Middle English pycture. The word is a doublet of pictura.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/picture (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).