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Definition of pictorial - 4 dictionary results

pic⋅to⋅ri⋅al

  [pik-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-ee-uhl]
Use pictorial in a Sentence
–adjective
1. pertaining to, expressed in, or of the nature of a picture.
2. illustrated by or containing pictures: a pictorial history.
3. of or pertaining to the art of painting and drawing pictures, the pictures themselves, or their makers: the pictorial masterpieces of the Renaissance.
4. having or suggesting the visual appeal or imagery of a picture: a pictorial metaphor.
–noun
5. a periodical in which pictures constitute an important feature.
6. a magazine feature that is primarily photographic.
Origin:
1640–50; < L pictōri(us) of painting (pic-, var. s. of pingere to paint + -tōrius -tory 1 ) + -al 1

Related forms:
pic⋅to⋅ri⋅al⋅ly, adverb
pic⋅to⋅ri⋅al⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
4. picturesque, vivid, striking, telling.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To pictorial
pic·to·ri·al   (pĭk-tôr'ē-əl, -tōr'-)   
adj.  
  1. Relating to, characterized by, or composed of pictures.
  2. Represented as if in a picture: pictorial prose.
  3. Illustrated by pictures: a pictorial history.
n.  An illustrated periodical.

[From Latin pictōrius, from pictor, painter; see Pictor.]
pic·to'ri·al'i·ty (-āl'ĭ-tē) n., pic·to'ri·al·ly adv.
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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Pictorial

Pic*to"ri*al\, a. [L. pictorius, fr. pictor a painter, fr. pingere to paint. See Paint.] Of or pertaining to pictures; illustrated by pictures; forming pictures; representing with the clearness of a picture; as, a pictorial dictionary; a pictorial imagination. "Pictorial rhetoric." --Ruskin. -- Pic*to"ri*al*ly, adv.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : pictorial
Spanish: ilustrado, en imágenes,
German: illustriert,
Japanese: 絵入りの
More Translations »

pictorial  (adj.)
1646, from L. pictorius "of a painter," from L. pictor "painter," from pp. stem of pingere "to make pictures" (see paint). The noun meaning "journal in which pictures are the main feature" is first recorded 1844.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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