painting

[ peyn-ting ]

noun

1. a picture or design executed in paints.
2. the act, art, or work of a person who paints.
3. the works of art painted painted in a particular manner, place, or period:

   a book on Flemish painting.

4. an instance of covering a surface with paint.

painting

/ ˈpeɪntɪŋ /

noun

1. the art or process of applying paints to a surface such as canvas, to make a picture or other artistic composition
2. a composition or picture made in this way
3. the act of applying paint to a surface with a brush

Word History and Origins

Origin of painting¹

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; paint, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

"Her politics, which are otherwise incoherent, tend to be sympathetic to these two strongmen, painting America as the problem and the dictators as misunderstood," wrote anti-Trump conservative and former Naval War College professor Tom Nichols in an op-ed published by The Atlantic.

From Salon

Many years later, in graduate school, when I first read “Sonny’s Blues,” a short story originally published in 1957 by James Baldwin about family and addiction, I would think back to this painting, in this house, and how its beauty halted me in my tracks, how it dared me to pause and consider my place in the wide world.

From Los Angeles Times

The massive wall painting by Robert Vargas offers three different views of the pitcher, including one of his unique high kick and heavenward gaze during his wind-up.

From Los Angeles Times

Following five years of research using techniques such as digital imaging and artificial intelligence, eight restorers will begin "Operation Night Watch" by removing the varnish from the painting - in full view of the public, within the glass-enclosed space in The Night Watch Room.

From BBC

Made for Amsterdam's Arquebusiers Guild Hall, Rembrandt van Rijn's 1642 oil painting is one of the earliest to portray a group in action.

From BBC

Related Words

• art
• canvas
• composition
• depiction
• landscape
• mural
• oil painting
• picture
• portrait
• sketch