Origin: Latin suffix -ure
Picture has 14 different meanings across 2 categories:
a clear and telling mental image
"he described his mental picture of his assailant"
"he had no clear picture of himself or his world"
"the events left a permanent impression in his mind"
illustrations used to decorate or explain a text
"the dictionary had many pictures"
a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
"they went to a movie every Saturday night"
"the film was shot on location"
a graphic or vivid verbal description
"too often the narrative was interrupted by long word pictures"
"the author gives a depressing picture of life in Poland"
"the pamphlet contained brief characterizations of famous Vermonters"
a typical example of some state or quality
"the very picture of a modern general"
"she was the picture of despair"
a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide or in digital format
"She carefully framed the picture from her grandmother's old album to hang above the fireplace."
A representation of anything (as a person, a landscape, a building) upon canvas, paper, or other surface, by drawing, painting, printing, photography, etc.
"She carefully framed the new picture she bought from the local artist's gallery."
In plain English: A picture is an image you can see, either drawn by hand or taken with a camera.
"She hung a small picture on the wall above her bed."
Usage: Use "picture" to refer to any visual image created on a physical surface like paper or canvas through methods such as painting or photography. It is often also used metaphorically to describe a mental image or a detailed description of a situation.
To represent in or with a picture.
"The artist managed to capture the serene beauty of the mountains perfectly on canvas."
In plain English: To picture something means to form a clear mental image of it in your mind without actually seeing it with your eyes.
"She decided to picture her friend standing in the garden."
Usage: Use "picture" as a verb to describe forming a mental image of something before it happens or exists. Do not use it when referring to creating an actual photograph or painting.
The word "picture" comes from the Latin pictūra, meaning "a painting." It entered English through Middle English and Old French, carrying its original sense of a painted image.