different between portrait vs description

English

Alternative forms

• pourtraict (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French portraict, pourtraict, nominal use of the past participle of portraire (“portray”), from Latin pr?trah?.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??t??t/, (rare) IPA^(key): /?p??t?e?t/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?p??t??t/, (rare) IPA^(key): /?p??t?e?t/
• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /?po??t??t/, (rare) IPA^(key): /?po??t?e?t/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /?po?t??t/, (rare) IPA^(key): /?po?t?e?t/

Noun

portrait (countable and uncountable, plural portraits)

1. (countable) A painting or other picture of a person, especially the head and shoulders.
   • a. 1792, Joshua Reynolds, Discourses on Painting and the Fine Arts

     In portraits, the grace, and, we may add, the likeness, consists more in the general air than in the exact similitude of every feature.

2. (countable, figuratively) An accurate depiction of a person, a mood, etc.

3. (computing, printing) A print orientation where the vertical sides are longer than the horizontal sides.

Antonyms

• (print mode or selection): landscape
• (print mode or selection): profile

Related terms

• portray

Translations

Verb

portrait (third-person singular simple present portraits, present participle portraiting, simple past and past participle portraited)

1. (obsolete) To portray; to draw.

Adjective

portrait (not comparable)

1. Representing the actual features of an individual; not ideal.

   a portrait bust; a portrait statue

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p??.t??/

Noun

portrait m (plural portraits)

1. portrait
2. (printing) portrait (format)
3. description (of a person or things)

Antonyms

• (2) paysage

Derived terms

• portrait craché
• refaire le portrait

Descendants

• ? Dutch: portret
  • Afrikaans: portret
  • ? Indonesian: potret
• ? German: Porträt

Further reading

• “portrait” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Norman

Noun

portrait m (plural portraits)

1. (Jersey) portrait

English

Etymology

From Old French description, from Latin d?scr?pti?, noun of action of d?scr?b? (“I describe”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /d??sk??p??n/

Noun

description (countable and uncountable, plural descriptions)

1. A sketch or account of anything in words; a portraiture or representation in language; an enumeration of the essential qualities of a thing or species.
2. The act of describing; a delineation by marks or signs.
3. A set of characteristics by which someone or something can be recognized.

   The zoo had no lions, tigers, or cats of any description.

4. (taxonomy) A scientific documentation of a taxon for the purpose of introducing it to science.

   The type description of the fungus was written by a botanist.

5. (linguistics) The act or practice of recording and describing actual language usage in a given speech community, as opposed to prescription, i.e. laying down norms of language usage.
6. (linguistics) A descriptive linguistic survey.

Synonyms

• (characteristics): sort, kind, type, variety

Derived terms

Related terms

• describe
• descriptive

Translations

See also

• prescription
• descriptivism

Further reading

• description in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• description in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

See also

• synopsis
• interpretation

Anagrams

• discerption, predictions

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin d?scripti?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d?s.k?ip.sj??/
• Homophone: descriptions

Noun

description f (plural descriptions)

1. description

Related terms

• décrire
• descriptif

Further reading

• “description” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Old French

Etymology

From Latin d?scripti?.

Noun

description f (oblique plural descriptions, nominative singular description, nominative plural descriptions)

1. description

Related terms

• descrivre