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Webster 1913 Edition


Limn

Limn

(lĭm)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Limned
(lĭmd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Limning
(lĭm′nĭng or lĭm′ĭng)
.]
[OE.
limnen
, fr.
luminen
, for
enluminen
, F.
enluminer
to illuminate, to limn, LL.
illuminare
to paint. √122. See
Illuminate
,
Luminous
.]
1.
To draw or paint; especially, to represent in an artistic way with pencil or brush.
Let a painter carelessly
limn
out a million of faces, and you shall find them all different.
Sir T. Browne.
3.
To illumine, as books or parchments, with ornamental figures, letters, or borders.

Webster 1828 Edition


Limn

LIMN

,
Verb.
T.
lim.
[L. lumino.] To draw or paint; or to paint in water colors.

Definition 2024


limn

limn

See also: limn-

English

Verb

limn (third-person singular simple present limns, present participle limning, simple past and past participle limned)

  1. (transitive) To draw or paint; delineate.
  2. (transitive) To describe.
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To illuminate, as a manuscript.

Usage notes

  • Particularly used in arts journalism; not understood by significant portion of American public.[1]

Quotations

  • For usage examples of this term, see Citations:limn.

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. The Sun goes out on a limn with unusual headline: Unusual word in front-page headline leaves some readers scratching their heads, Jill Rosen, The Baltimore Sun, September 7, 2010