limn

[ lim ]

verb (used with object)

1. to represent in drawing or painting.
2. to portray in words; describe.
3. Obsolete. to illuminate (manuscripts).

limn

/ ˈlɪmnə; lɪm /

verb

1. to represent in drawing or painting
2. archaic.
   to describe in words
3. an obsolete word for illuminate

Derived Forms

• limner, noun

Other Words From

• outlimn verb (used with object)
• un·limned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of limn¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English lymne, variant of Middle English luminen “to illuminate (manuscripts),” variant of enlumine, from Middle French enluminer, from Latin inlūmināre “to embellish,” literally, “light up”; illuminate

Word History and Origins

Origin of limn¹

C15: from Old French enluminer to illumine (a manuscript) from Latin inlūmināre to brighten, from lūmen light

Example Sentences

Joya Chatterji took home the prize for history with “Shadows at Noon: The South Asian Twentieth Century,” which limns the region’s trajectory from British colony to three complex, independent nations.

From Los Angeles Times

Such moments of insight and empathy limn Darraj’s novel, shining through the sadness and tension of her characters’ lives.

From Seattle Times

Thirty years ago, the nook was filled with texts — mostly written by white men — that limned the landscape of criticism in which Black artists had to find their own footing.

From New York Times

“Immediate Family” takes its time limning their skills and showing how they survived the 1980s, when session gigs became scarce.

From New York Times

Its members have included a wide spectrum of people whose life stories limn the Horatio Alger credo, although they have trended conservative.

From New York Times

Related Words

• delineate