portray

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: por=tray

CIDE DICTIONARY

portray, v. t. [OE. pourtraien, OF. portraire, pourtraire, F. portraire, fr. L. protrahere, protractum, to draw or drag forth; pro forward, forth + trahere to draw. See Trace, v. t., and cf. Protract.].

•  To paint or draw the likeness of; as, to portray a king on horseback.  [1913 Webster]

  "Take a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city, even Jerusalem."  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, figuratively, to describe in words.  [1913 Webster]
•  To adorn with pictures.  [1913 Webster]

  "Spear and helmets thronged, and shields
  Various with boastful arguments potrayed."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

portray, v.tr.
1 make a likeness of.
2 describe graphically.

Derivative

portrayable adj. portrayal n. portrayer n.

Etymology

ME f. OF portraire f. por- = PRO-(1) + traire draw f. L trahere

THESAURUS

portray

act a part, act out, bring to life, cartoon, catch a likeness, chalk, character, characterize, charcoal, chart, color, copy, crayon, create a role, crosshatch, dash off, daub, delineate, depict, describe, design, diagram, doodle, draft, draw, duplicate, enact, evoke, express, give words to, hatch, hit off, image, impersonate, interpret, limn, map, notate, outline, paint, paint a picture, pencil, personate, photograph, picture, picturize, play a part, play a role, play opposite, pose as, print, register, render, represent, reproduce, rub, schematize, scratch, scumble, set forth, shade, show, sketch, stencil, support, sustain a part, symbolize, take a part, take a rubbing, tint, trace, trace out, trace over, write

ROGET THESAURUS

portray

Description

VB describe, set forth, draw a picture, picture, portray, characterize, particularize, narrate, relate, recite, recount, sum up, run over, recapitulate, rehearse, fight one's battles over again, unfold a tale, tell, give an account of, render an account of, report, make a report, draw up a statement, detail, enter into particulars, enter into details, descend to particulars, descend to details, itemize.

Representation

VB copy, drawing, sketch, drought, draft, plot, chart, figure, scheme, image, likeness, icon, portrait, striking likeness, speaking likeness, very image, effigy, facsimile, figure, figure head, puppet, doll, figurine, aglet, manikin, lay- figure, model, mammet, marionette, fantoccini, waxwork, bust, statue, statuette, ideograph, hieroglyphic, anaglyph, kanji, diagram, monogram, map, plan, chart, ground plan, projection, elevation (plan), ichnography, cartography, atlas, outline, scheme, view, radiograph, scotograph, sciagraph, spectrogram, heliogram, V, represent, delineate, depict, depicture, portray, take a likeness, catch a likeness, hit off, photograph, daguerreotype, snapshot, figure, shadow forth, shadow out, adumbrate, body forth, describe, trace, copy, mold, dress up, illustrate, symbolize, paint, carve, engrave, personate, personify, impersonate, assume a character, pose as, act, play, mimic, hold the mirror up to nature.