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limn

[ lim ]
/ lɪm /
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See synonyms for: limn / limned on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
to represent in drawing or painting.
to portray in words; describe.
Obsolete. to illuminate (manuscripts).
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Origin of limn

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English lymne, variant of Middle English luminen “to illuminate (manuscripts),” variant of enlumine, from Middle French enluminer, from Latin inlūmināre “to embellish,” literally, “light up”; see illuminate

OTHER WORDS FROM limn

outlimn, verb (used with object)un·limned, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH limn

limb, limn

Words nearby limn

limitrophe, limit-state design, limit switch, limivorous, limmer, limn, limner, limnetic, limnology, limnophilous, Límnos
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to limn

delineate, describe, draw, paint, represent

How to use limn in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for limn

limn
/ (lɪm) /
verb (tr)
to represent in drawing or painting
archaic to describe in words
an obsolete word for illuminate

Derived forms of limn

limner (ˈlɪmnə), noun

Word Origin for limn

C15: from Old French enluminer to illumine (a manuscript) from Latin inlūmināre to brighten, from lūmen light
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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