pictorial
English
Alternative forms
- pictoral (uncommon, possibly nonstandard)
Etymology
(deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin pictōrius (“of painting”), from pictor (“painter”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
pictorial (not comparable)
- Of, relating to, composed of, or illustrated by pictures.
- Described or otherwise represented as if in a picture; graphic or vivid.
- 2012 March, Brian Hayes, “Pixels or Perish”, in American Scientist[1], volume 100, number 2, page 106:
- Drawings and pictures are more than mere ornaments in scientific discourse. Blackboard sketches, geological maps, diagrams of molecular structure, astronomical photographs, MRI images, the many varieties of statistical charts and graphs: These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story.
- Stylistically similar to a painting, especially following pictorial conventions (of a photograph) – see pictorialism.
Usage notes
Can be used comparatively “Could you give a more pictorial treatment of this subject?” but this usage is uncommon.
Derived terms
Translations
of, relating to, composed of, or illustrated by pictures
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represented as if in picture
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similar to painting
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Noun
pictorial (plural pictorials)
- a newspaper or magazine with many pictures, or section thereof
- an article primarily featuring many photographs, or simply a collection of photographs
- (philately) a stamp featuring a vignette of local scenery or culture.
Usage notes
- Individual titles will be capitalized e.g. "Sunday Pictorial"
- In sense “an article consisting primarily of photographs”, particularly used of photographs of people, as in “The budding starlet is featured in a pictorial in a glossy magazine next week.”
Coordinate terms
Translations
magazine
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article
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stamp
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