-io

an action, process, or result

Forms

-io
-ion- — The longer form used before Latin endings.
-ion — The form carried into many English nouns.

Origin

An old Latin noun ending, inherited from earlier Indo-European word formation.

Note

The ending can name both an activity and what that activity produces.

111 / 371

noun

depiction

dih-PIK-shuhn/dɪˈpɪkʃn/

A portrayal of someone or something in words, images, or performance.

The drawing is a depiction of the pear beside it.

A real red pear with a green leaf sits beside a propped drawing showing that same pear, including its distinctive curved stem and leaf.

Etymology

deLatindown, away; removal

+pictLatinpaint, color, or decorate

+ionLatinan action, process, or result

The painting root supplies the image of making a likeness. The associated Latin verb also meant “describe” and “imagine,” connecting visual portrayal with the broader representation expressed by words or performance.

In context

Crime 3609:17

there's not a lotta cellphone towers. So a lotta times when you try to ping a phone and there's not many towers, it doesn't give a real accurate depiction of where the device is at.

One Alibi Unraveled the Entire Case (S1, E1) | Witness to Murder: Digital Evidence | Full Episode

More examples

Her depiction of winter used only a few colors.
The report criticized the misleading depiction of events.
The actor’s depiction of the ruler was unexpectedly gentle.

Forms

depiction · depictions

depict verb — represent in words or images

Similar words

portrayal: Portrayal similarly means a representation; depiction often emphasizes the visible or descriptive presentation.
description: A description uses words; a depiction can use words, images, or other forms of representation.