limn

Meaning

1. To draw or paint; to delineate.
2. (obsolete) To illuminate, as a manuscript; to decorate with gold or some other bright colour.

Synonyms

depict

delineate

portray

picture

draw

outline

paint

describe

put on

qualify

represent

shoot

show

apply

skeletonize

cartoon

color

colour

film

📽️

illustrate

inscribe

profile

Pronounced as (IPA)

/lɪm/

Etymology

From 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)).