Limn

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Limn \Limn\ (l[i^]m), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Limned} (l[i^]md); p.
     pr. & vb. n. {Limning} (l[i^]m"n[i^]ng or l[i^]m"[i^]ng).]
     [OE. limnen, fr. luminen, for enluminen, F. enluminer to
     illuminate, to limn, LL. illuminare to paint. [root]122. See
     {Illuminate}, {Luminous}.]
     1. To draw or paint; especially, to represent in an artistic


        way with pencil or brush.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Let a painter carelessly limn out a million of
              faces, and you shall find them all different. --Sir
                                                    T. Browne.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Hence: To picture in words; to describe in graphic terms.
        [PJC]
  
     3. To illumine, as books or parchments, with ornamental
        figures, letters, or borders.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  limn
       v 1: trace the shape of [syn: {delineate}, {outline}]
       2: make a portrait of; "Goya wanted to portray his mistress,
          the Duchess of Alba" [syn: {portray}, {depict}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  60 Moby Thesaurus words for "limn":
     bring to life, cartoon, catch a likeness, chalk, character,
     characterize, charcoal, chart, color, contour, copy, crayon,
     crosshatch, dash off, daub, delineate, depict, describe, design,
     diagram, doodle, draft, draw, evoke, express, give words to, hatch,
     hit off, image, interpret, map, notate, outline, paint,
     paint a picture, pencil, picture, picturize, portray, print,
     profile, register, render, represent, rub, schematize, scratch,
     scumble, set forth, shade, silhouette, sketch, stencil, symbolize,
     take a rubbing, tint, trace, trace out, trace over, write