limn

tr.v., limned, limn·ing (lĭm'nĭng), limns.

1. To describe.
2. To depict by painting or drawing. See synonyms at represent.

[Middle English limnen, to illuminate (a manuscript), probably alteration (influenced by limnour, illustrator) of luminen, from Old French luminer, from Latin lūmināre, to illuminate, adorn, from lūmen, lūmin-, light.]

limner limn'er (lĭm'nər) n.

Pity the poor pop star. There are many things one would want to have one's life illuminated or delineated by, but scandal is not one of them:

"Just last month, [Michael] Jackson — still swamped in debt, with his musical career in stasis and his personal life limned by scandal — agreed to that financial overhaul. It is likely to strip him of about half of his remaining stake in the [Beatles] catalog, which he has relied on as a financial lifeline for about a decade."

Link: What Happened to the Fortune Michael Jackson Made?

Posted May 15, 2006.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

verb

To present a lifelike image of: delineate, depict, describe, express, image, picture, portray, render, represent, show. See show/hide.

IN BRIEF: To paint or draw. Also: To portray in words.

The poet was able to limn the scene perfectly to the mind's eye.

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The verb has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: trace the shape of
  Synonyms: delineate, outline

Meaning #2: make a portrait of
  Synonyms: portray, depict

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