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diorama - 5 dictionary results
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di⋅o⋅ram⋅a

  [dahy-uh-ram-uh, -rah-muh]
Use diorama in a Sentence
–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, esp. as a continuous unit along or against the walls.
Origin:
1815–25; < F, equiv. to di- di- 3 + Gk (h)órāma view (horā-, var. s. of horân to see, look + -ma n. suffix denoting the result of action)

Related forms:
di⋅o⋅ram⋅ic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To diorama
di·o·ram·a   (dī'ə-rām'ə, -rä'mə)   
n.  
  1. A three-dimensional miniature or life-size scene in which figures, stuffed wildlife, or other objects are arranged in a naturalistic setting against a painted background.
  2. A scene reproduced on cloth transparencies with various lights shining through the cloths to produce changes in effect, intended for viewing at a distance through an aperture.

[French, blend of dia-, through (from Greek; see dia-) and panorama, panorama (from English; see panorama).]
di'o·ram'ic (-rām'ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Diorama

Di`o*ra"ma\, n. [Gr. ? to see through; ? = dia` through + ? to see; cf. ? that which is seen, a sight: cf. F. diorama. Cf. Panorama.]

1. A mode of scenic representation, invented by Daguerre and Bouton, in which a painting is seen from a distance through a large opening. By a combination of transparent and opaque painting, and of transmitted and reflected light, and by contrivances such as screens and shutters, much diversity of scenic effect is produced.

2. A building used for such an exhibition.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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diorama 
1823 as a type of picture-viewing device, from Fr. (1822), from Gk. di- "through" + orama "that which is seen, a sight." Invented by Daguerre and Bouton, first exhibited in London Sept. 29, 1823. Meaning "small-scale replica of a scene, etc." is from 1902.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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diorama

three-dimensional exhibit, frequently housed in a cubicle and viewed through an aperture. It usually consists of a flat or curved back cloth on which a scenic painting or photograph is mounted. Flat or solid objects are placed in front of the back cloth, and coloured transparent gauze or plastic drop curtains are used to heighten the three-dimensional effect. A considerable improvement in perspective is achieved by the addition of stage borders or wings. The rigorous application of the laws of perspective is essential to the success of the exhibit. The skillful use of lighting also heightens the effect

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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