Tuesday, July 5, 2011

lineament



lineament [ˈlɪniəmənt] n.

1.) A line; also, a delineation, diagram, outline, sketch; pl. outlines, designs. lit. and fig. Obs.
2.) A minute portion, a trace; pl. elements, rudiments. Obs.
3.) A portion of the body, considered with respect to its contour or outline, a distinctive feature. Obs. (In the 17–18th c. very frequently applied to the parts of insects.)
4.) fig. in pl. Distinctive features or characteristics. (Now associated with sense 5.)
5.) In narrower sense, a portion of the face viewed with respect to its outline; a feature.

Etymology: Middle English liniament, from Latin lineamentum, from linea, line.

"All literature writes the character of the wise man. Books, monuments, pictures, conversation, are portraits in which he finds the lineaments he is forming" ("History", Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841).

(Self-Portrait, Leonardo da Vinci, ~1513)

21 comments:

DEZMOND said...

ooh, I love that it's not pronounced as /lai/ but as /li/!

Bart said...

figured as much ! :D

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

As a writer, I appreciate that word!

Zombie said...

cool da vinci man! lol. I personally like young da vinci better. lol.

The Onion Gypsy said...

great blog, +followed :)

D4 said...

I feel smart for a few seconds when I know a word that's put here.

Anonymous said...

Leonardo's portrait has always seemed awesome to me. Thanks for the meaning to the word.

shari said...

Love my da Vinci... he's one of my soul mates! The lineament of his mouth reminds me of Mona Lisa...

Brandon Sample said...

good pick

Debra She Who Seeks said...

The connection of "lineament" to "lines" made me think of that quotation that "A face without wrinkles is like a book without words."

Unknown said...

I echo @Dezmond. I stared at it for a moment and ran through all the possible pronounications in my head.

MRanthrope said...

yeah I totally pronounced that wrong.

Drake Sigar said...

Glorious beard is glorious.

Dave said...

Love that Da Vinci self portrait.

T. Banacek said...

Leonardo was ok, I guess. ;)

Mr. Cactus said...

Knew this one but kind of hard to work into conversation.

PeaceLoveandSharpies said...

I can only imagine how gorgeously intelligent you must sound when you talk...

Once Upon A Time... said...

thanks for the thought..where were you watching the Malta Story - was it about it's history?

i do like this word, leo's image goes perfect with it.

i see you changed your passport profile picture. Good. you must've borrowed a digital cam from someone...haha!

jos xx

Jessica Thompson said...

Great portrait! alphabetalife.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

That's a very cool self-portrait.

Anonymous said...

I've started writing all these words/phrases down in a little book that, one day when the time is right, I will use them in a sentence.

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