limn
To draw or paint; to delineateTo draw or paint; to delineate.
Meaning
2 senses(also, figuratively, transitive)To draw or paint; to delineate.
(obsolete, transitive)To illuminate, as a manuscript; to decorate with gold or some other bright colour.
- trace the shape of
- make a portrait of
Translations
1 languagesOrigin
From Middle English limnen, limyne, lymm, lymn, lymne (“to illuminate (a manuscript)”), aFrom Middle English limnen, limyne, lymm, lymn, lymne (“to illuminate (a manuscript)”), a variant of luminen (“to illuminate (a manuscript)”), short form of enluminen (“to shed light on, illuminate; to enlighten; to make bright or clear; to give colour to; to illuminate (a manuscript); to depict, describe; to adorn or embellish with figures of speech or poetry; to make famous, glorious, or illustrious”), from Old French enluminer (“to brighten, light up; to give colour to; to illuminate (a manuscript)”), from Latin illūminō (“to brighten, light up; to adorn; to make conspicuous”), from il- (a variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside’)) + lūminō (“to brighten, illuminate; to reveal”) (from lūmen (“light; (poetic) brightness”) (from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“bright; to shine; to see”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).
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Forms
limns, limning, limned, limnedSynonyms
5 synonymsWord family
7 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle