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Definition of portray - 4 dictionary results
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por⋅tray

  [pawr-trey, pohr-]
Use portray in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to make a likeness of by drawing, painting, carving, or the like.
2. to depict in words; describe graphically.
3. to represent dramatically, as on the stage: He portrayed Napoleon in the play.
Origin:
1300–50; ME portrayen < MF portraire < LL prōtrahere to depict, L: to draw forth, equiv. to prō- pro- 1 + trahere to draw

Related forms:
por⋅tray⋅a⋅ble, adjective
por⋅tray⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1, 2. picture, delineate, limn. See depict.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To portray
por·tray   (pôr-trā', pōr-)   
tr.v.   por·trayed, por·tray·ing, por·trays
  1. To depict or represent pictorially; make a picture of.
  2. To depict or describe in words.
  3. To represent dramatically, as on the stage. See Synonyms at represent.

[Middle English portraien, from Old French portraire : por-, forth (from Latin prō-, forth; see pro-1) + traire, to draw (from Latin trahere, to drag).]
por·tray'a·ble adj., por·tray'er n.
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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Portray

Por*tray"\, v. t. [Written also pourtray.] [imp. & p. p. portrayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Portraying.] [OE. pourtraien, OF. portraire, pourtraire, F. portraire, fr. L. protrahere, protractum, to draw or drag forth; pro forward, forth + trahere to draw. See Trace, v. t., and cf. Protract.]

1. To paint or draw the likeness of; as, to portray a king on horseback.

Take a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city, even Jerusalem. --Ezek. iv. 1.

2. Hence, figuratively, to describe in words.

3. To adorn with pictures. [R.]

Spear and helmets thronged, and shields Various with boastful arguments potrayed. --Milton.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : portray
Spanish: retratar, hacer un retrato; pintar, describir,
German: porträtieren,
Japanese: 肖像を描く
More Translations »

portray 
c.1300, from Anglo-Fr. purtraire, O.Fr. portraire "to draw, to paint, portray" (12c.), lit. "trace, draw forth," from por- "forth" (from L. pro-) + traire "trace, draw," from L. trahere "to drag, draw" (see tract (1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Portrait
 Artist became famous by painting Social network avatars: watch video
 www.Babelgum.com