diorama

American  

[dahy-uh-ram-uh, -rah-muh] / ˌdaɪ əˈræm ə, -ˈrɑ mə /

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.

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diorama British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• dioramic adjective

Etymology

Origin of diorama

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)

Example Sentences

The concept is by the visual artist Susan Zeeman Rogers and the 75-minute show works primarily as a narrative for her videos and miniature dioramas.

From The Wall Street Journal

Major battles are retold using dioramas, interactive maps and narratives that focus on the broader war between the upstart colonists and the British.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From The Wall Street Journal

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.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.

From The Wall Street Journal