portrait
pronunciation
How to pronounce portrait in British English:
UK [ˈpɔːtreɪt]
How to pronounce portrait in American English:
US [ˈpɔːrtrət]
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- Noun:
- a painting of a person's face
- a word picture of a person's appearance and character
- any likeness of a person
Word Origin
- portrait
- portrait: [16] Portrait was borrowed from French portrait, which originated as the past participle of the verb portraire ‘depict’ (source of English portray [14]). This was descended from Latin prōtrahere, a compound verb formed from the prefix prō- ‘forth’ and trahere ‘draw’ (source of English tractor). This originally meant ‘draw out, reveal’, and also ‘lengthen’ (it has given English protract [16]), but in medieval Latin it came to be used for ‘depict’.=> portray, protract, tractor
- portrait (n.)
- 1560s, "a figure, drawn or painted," a back formation from portraiture or directly from Middle French portrait, from Old French portret (13c.), noun use of past participle of portraire "to paint, depict" (see portray). Especially of the head and face of a person.
Example
- 1. But the demand to remove his portrait is wrong .
- 2. Jonathan especially enjoys portrait painting and other figurative works .
- 3. Indian culture and music will flood the national portrait gallery .
- 4. It resembles andrea mantegna 's portrait of the dead christ .
- 5. Cartier-bresson was a hunter for the found portrait .