picture-frame
/ˈpɪk.tʃər freɪm/ IELTSAcademic
noun
A picture-frame is the border around a picture, photo, or painting. It helps protect the image and makes it look neat or attractive.
- We bought a gold picture-frame for the photo.
- The picture-frame matched the room's colors.
Adinary Nuance
A picture-frame is the object around a picture. It is different from a photo album, which holds many photos, and from a frame as a verb, which means to surround or shape something. Writers choose picture-frame when they mean the physical border, not the picture itself.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- khung ảnh
- Spanish
- marco de foto
- Chinese
- 相框
- Japanese
- 写真立て
- Korean
- 액자
Etymology
Picture-frame combines picture and frame. Frame comes from Old English and has been used for borders and supports for many centuries.
Common phrases
gold picture-framewooden picture-framehang a picture-frame
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is picture-frame one word or two words?
- It is usually written as two words: picture frame. A hyphen is also sometimes used in compounds.
- What is the difference between picture-frame and frame?
- Frame is the shorter, more general word. Picture-frame is clearer when you mean a frame for a picture or photo.
- Can I use picture-frame in formal writing?
- Yes, but frame is more common in everyday English. Picture-frame is fine when you want to be specific.