diorama

[dahy-uh-ram-uh, -rah-muh]

noun

1. a scene, often in miniature, reproduced in three dimensions by placing objects, figures, etc., in front of a painted background.

2. a life-size display representing a scene from nature, a historical event, or the like, using stuffed wildlife, wax figures, real objects, etc., in front of a painted or photographed background.

3. a spectacular picture, partly translucent, for exhibition through an aperture, made more realistic by various illuminating devices.

4. a building or room, often circular, for exhibiting such a scene or picture, especially as a continuous unit along or against the walls.

diorama

/ ˌdaɪəˈrɑːmə, ˌdaɪəˈræmɪk /

noun

1. a miniature three-dimensional scene, in which models of figures are seen against a background

2. a picture made up of illuminated translucent curtains, viewed through an aperture

3. a museum display, as of an animal, of a specimen in its natural setting

4. films a scene produced by the rearrangement of lighting effects

Other Word Forms

• dioramic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of diorama¹

1815–25; < French, equivalent to di- di- ³ + Greek ( h ) órāma view ( horā-, variant stem of horân to see, look + -ma noun suffix denoting the result of action)

Word History and Origins

Origin of diorama¹

C19: from French, from Greek dia- through + Greek horama view, from horan to see

Example Sentences

Rousseau’s make-believe world, beautifully abundant, unfolds like a series of enchanting though dramatic dioramas in the last gallery.

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I descended into a crevice in the earth shrouded by foliage, and passed through stone chambers with dioramas with an audio-guide explaining the dramatic saga.

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They peg him as an inveterate showman who is less interested in Russia and China than dioramas of the new White House ballroom or a Triumphal Arch near the Lincoln Memorial.

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In museums, there are dioramas with cave people hunting mammoths with spears and movies are filled with examples of aggressive ancestors.

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Saber-toothed cats are iconic creatures often seen in museum dioramas, displays of fossil skeletons, and even the movie Ice Age.

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