How to Say "Picture" in Latin

pictura

The English word "picture" can be translated into Latin as pictura.

The term pictura is used to refer to a photograph.

Meaning: photograph (noun)

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The expression tabula picta means painted tablet and is used for a picture on a flat surface.

In late Latin, picturula is a diminutive form of pictura used to mean a small picture.

The genitive singular form of pictura is picturae.

In Roman culture, a pictura was often judged by its mimesis, or how closely it could trick the viewer into thinking the object was real.
While pictura refers to the image, the Romans used the word imago specifically for ancestral portrait masks, which were considered more than just pictures.
Ancient Romans often distinguished between a pictura and a delineatio, where the latter referred specifically to a drawing made with lines rather than paint.

Haec pictura pulchra est.
This picture is beautiful.
This sentence shows how to describe the quality of a pictura.
Tatoeba #8492078 by alexmarcelo, translation #3826323 by CK
Pictura familiae meae est.
This is a picture of my family.
This sentence demonstrates how to indicate that a pictura belongs to a specific subject.
Tatoeba #1361893 by alexmarcelo, translation #55624 by CK
Omnes in pictura subrident.
Everyone is smiling in the picture.
This sentence shows how to describe the actions of people within a pictura.
Tatoeba #1296631 by alexmarcelo, translation #714984 by CS
Pictura est ars.
A picture is art.
Habesne imaginem novam?
Do you have a new picture?
Videbis meam effigiem apud ianuam.
You will see my picture by the door.
Dedisti mihi imagunculam!
You gave me a little picture!
Habesne picturulam hanc?
Do you have this small picture?
11 more sentences on Tatoeba

Marcus and Aurelia are looking at a photo of a city.

Sources

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