2020-11-28
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด P – Picture & Picturesque
แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง Picture = ‘PIK-cher”
ออกเสียง Picturesque = ‘pik-chuh-RESK’
Dictionary.com
BEHIND THE WORD
Where does picture come from?
A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words.
But what about the word picture?
We’re not going to write a thousand words on picture—although we could. Believe us when we say we could.
So, here’s a briefer word picture (see what we did there?)
on the origin of this versatile word.
In its most general sense,
a picture is a visual representation of something,
especially in the form of a painting, drawing, photograph, or the like.
A picture can also refer to a mental image, among other senses.
One meaning of picture, as a verb, is
“to represent something in a picture or pictorially”
—pictorial being a related adjective form variously used to refer to pictures.
The word picture entered English around 1375–1425, borrowed directly from the Latin word pictūra, “the act of painting, a painting.”
The word is based on pict(us), the past participle of the verb pingere, meaning “to paint.”
The verb could also mean “to draw, embroider, represent,” among other senses.
The second part of pictūra is -ūra, a noun suffix represented as -ure in English. See our entry at –ure to learn more about this suffix.
Dig deeper
The meaning of the word picture has been very stable in English.
Just as it originally did in the late 1300s,
a picture can still refer to a drawing or painting
— whether it’s your kid’s crayon-scrawled family portrait on your fridge
or Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa in the Louvre. Both are masterpieces,
as far as we’re concerned.
Please note, though,
that when referring to formal or professional works,
we often use the name of the medium (painting, photograph, film), with picture referring to more informal or amateur creations.
But picture has also been remarkably adaptable,
readily lending itself to images created by new technologies:
photography, cinema, TV,
and all the pictures we take on our smartphones and post on social media.
The word movie
—it’s easy to forget in an age of Netflix streaming and viral TikTok videos
—is shortened from the phrase moving picture.
And what are digital images composed of? Tiny pixels.
That word is based on pix, a variant of pics,
a common shortening of picture.
A picture, we might say today, is worth (many) thousands of pixels.
Did you know ... ?
As we noted in the previous section,
picture ultimately comes from the Latin verb pingere.
Picture is not the only word English gets from this root, however.
Pingere evolved into the Old French peindre, whose past participle was peint, source of the English paint and related forms.
That means a painting, etymologically speaking, is a picture.
Did you know these words are also rooted in the Latin pingere, “to paint”?
Dictionary.com
SYNONYM STUDY FOR PICTURESQUE
Picturesque, graphic, vivid
apply to descriptions that produce a strong,
especially a visual, impression.
Picturesque is a less precise term than the other two. A picturesque account, though striking and interesting, may be inaccurate or may reflect personal ideas: He called the landscape picturesque.
A graphic account is more objective and factual:
it produces a clear, definite impression, and carries conviction.
A vivid account is told with liveliness and intenseness;
the description is so interesting, or even exciting,
that the reader or hearer may be emotionally stirred.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree
Picturesque = beautiful or striking as in a picture:
a picturesque scene;
strikingly graphic; vivid:
picturesque speech
Not to be confused with:
picaresque – a style of fiction dealing with the episodic adventures of rogues; pertaining to or resembling rogues
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Choose the Right Synonym for picturesque
mean giving a clear visual impression in words.
GRAPHIC stresses the evoking of a clear lifelike picture. a graphic account of combat
VIVID suggests an impressing on the mind of the vigorous aliveness of something. a vivid re-creation of an exciting event
PICTURESQUE suggests the presentation of a striking or effective picture composed of features notable for their distinctness and charm.
a picturesque account of his travels
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
Picture
The pronunciation of “picture” as if it were “pitcher”
is common in some dialects,
but not standard.
The first syllable should sound like “pick."
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
“Picaresque” is a technical literary term
you are unlikely to have a use for.
It labels a sort of literature involving a picaro (Spanish),
a lovable rogue who roams the land having colorful adventures.
A landscape that looks as lovely as a picture is picturesque.
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression
picture
As a noun or verb meaning “image,” “representation,”
and “to represent,” “to form an image,”
picture is a standard word.
It is greatly overused, however,
in such loose expressions
as “Do you get the picture?” and “picturethat.”
“Pretty as a picture” and “picture of health”
are especially trite phrases.
