limn

[lim]

verb (used with object)

to represent in drawing or painting.
to portray in words; describe.
Obsolete. to illuminate (manuscripts).

Origin of limn

1400–50; late Middle English lymne, variant of Middle English luminen to illuminate (manuscripts), aphetic variant of enlumine < Middle French enluminer < Latin inlūmināre to embellish, literally, light up; see illuminate

Related formsout·limn, verb (used with object)un·limned, adjective

Can be confusedlimb limn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for limning

Contemporary Examples

From it I learned the importance of limning a particular setting, a sense of place.
‘Miracle Boy Grows Up’: Ben Mattlin Speaks to Jay McInerney
Jay McInerney
December 22, 2012
The boundaries of acceptable comedy have once again asserted themselves, limning the limits of gallows humor.
Too Soon? Jokes That Get People Fired
Lloyd Grove
March 16, 2011

Historical Examples

For his face, late blue with rage, was now black with a limning of the sewer liquid.
The Free Lances
Mayne Reid
But the canvas of my imagination, when it came to limning the Man About Town, was blank.
The Four Million
O. Henry
No one talks of "limning a missal," or of a "limned missal."
Arrows of the Chace, v. 2
John Ruskin
Hilarius crimsoned, he was weary of limning ever with blue and gold, he faltered.
The Gathering of Brother Hilarius
Michael Fairless
In this art of limning or painting in water colours, his artists are wonderfully expert.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume IX.
Robert Kerr

British Dictionary definitions for limning

limn

verb (tr)

to represent in drawing or painting
archaic to describe in words
an obsolete word for illuminate

Derived Formslimner (ˈlɪmnə), noun

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for limning

limn

v.

early 15c., "to illuminate" (manuscripts), altered from Middle English luminen, "to illuminate manuscripts" (late 14c.), from Old French luminer "light up, illuminate," from Latin luminare "illuminate, burnish," from lumen (genitive luminis) "radiant energy, light," related to lucere "to shine" (see light (n.)). Sense of "portray, depict" first recorded 1590s. Related: Limned.

limn

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}limn

Related Words

Examples from the Web for limning

Contemporary Examples

From it I learned the importance of limning a particular setting, a sense of place.

The boundaries of acceptable comedy have once again asserted themselves, limning the limits of gallows humor.

Historical Examples

For his face, late blue with rage, was now black with a limning of the sewer liquid.

But the canvas of my imagination, when it came to limning the Man About Town, was blank.

No one talks of "limning a missal," or of a "limned missal."

Hilarius crimsoned, he was weary of limning ever with blue and gold, he faltered.

In this art of limning or painting in water colours, his artists are wonderfully expert.

limn

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for limning

limn

v.

Origin of limn