mural

[myoo r-uh l]

See more synonyms for mural on Thesaurus.com

noun

a large picture painted or affixed directly on a wall or ceiling.
a greatly enlarged photograph attached directly to a wall.
a wallpaper pattern representing a landscape or the like, often with very widely spaced repeats so as to produce the effect of a mural painting on a wall of average size; a trompe l'oeil.

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a wall.
executed on or affixed to a wall: mural inscriptions.
pertaining to any of several astronomical instruments that were affixed to a wall aligned on the plane of a meridian, and were formerly used to measure the altitude of celestial bodies: a mural quadrant; a mural circle.

Origin of mural

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin mūrālis, equivalent to mūr(us) wall + -ālis -al¹

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

Related Words for mural

scenery, photograph, scene, painting, view, mural, picture, sketch, art, canvas, depiction, portrait, composition, landscape, design, drawing, watercolor, prospect, panorama, outlook

Examples from the Web for mural

Contemporary Examples of mural

Mastrion immediately decided to change her concept to a mural of the band.
Beastie Boys Return to Paul’s Boutique
Justin Jones
July 29, 2014
By April 17, Warhol had written a letter to the Department of Public Works authorizing that the mural be painted over.
The Most Wanted Warhol: A Scandal at the 1964 World’s Fair
Jessica Dawson
April 25, 2014
The teachers encouraged him, gave him a school wall for a mural.
The Ballad of Johnny France
Richard Ben Cramer
January 12, 2014
Like a masterpiece—or a mural across the side of a subway car—the art of graffiti seemed to spring up overnight in New York City.
5 Pointz: When Graffiti Was King
Caitlin Dickson
November 24, 2013
Now, he was flanked by a mural of pastel-colored ice-cream cones.
Can the Syrian Rebels Unite?
Mike Giglio
November 30, 2012

Historical Examples of mural

Congress had voted money for mural paintings for the rotunda of the Capitol.
The Age of Invention
Holland Thompson
They, too, like the Egyptians, embellished their tombs with mural paintings.
Architecture
Thomas Roger Smith
A mural tablet might be set in the front of the central building, at a small expense.
Tea Leaves
Various
He meant that the faces of many of the figures in the mural were still blank.
2 B R 0 2 B
Kurt Vonnegut
The coins of Zamasp have the usual inflated ball and mural crown, but with a crescent in place of the front limb of the crown.
The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 7. (of 7): The Sassanian or New Persian Empire
George Rawlinson

British Dictionary definitions for mural

mural

noun

a large painting or picture on a wall

adjective

of or relating to a wall

Derived Formsmuralist, noun

Word Origin for mural

C15: from Latin mūrālis, from mūrus wall

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 mural

painting on a wall, 1921, short for mural painting (1850), from mural (adj.) "pertaining to walls" (mid-15c.), from Latin muralis "of a wall," from murus "wall" (Old Latin moiros, moerus), from PIE *mei- "to fix; to build fences or fortifications" (cf. Old English mære "boundary, border, landmark;" Old Norse -mæri "boundary, border-land;" Latin munire "to fortify, protect").

mural in Medicine

mural

[myur′əl]

adj.

Of or relating to the wall of any cavity.

mural in Culture

mural

A painting, usually large, made directly on a wall.

Note

The Mexican artist Diego Rivera was noted for his production of murals.