limn

From Middle English luminem, limnen (“to illuminate (a manuscript)”), from Middle French enluminer, from Latin illūminō (“I illuminate”) (English illuminate), in + lūminō (“light up”), from lūmen (“light”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (English leam (“glow”)).

• enPR: lĭm, IPA^(key): /lɪm/
• Rhymes: -ɪm
• Homophones: lim, limb

limn (third-person singular simple present limns, present participle limning, simple past and past participle limned)

1. (transitive) To draw or paint; delineate.
   • 2015, Karen Hawkins, How To Pursue A Princess: Duchess Diaries 2, London: Headline Publishing Group, →ISBN:

     As if to reaffirm her imagination, the sun broke through the trees to limn his broad shoulders with gold.

2. (transitive, obsolete) To illuminate, as a manuscript.

• For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:limn.

• limner