I.to represent pictorially with the pencil or needle, to paint, embroider (cf.: depingo, delineo, adumbro).
I. Lit.: “quas (comas) Dione Pingitur sustinuisse manu,” is represented in painting, Ov. Am. 1, 14, 34; Cic. Fam. 5, 12, 7: “tabulas,” id. Inv. 2, 1, 1: “tabula picta,” a painting, picture, id. Brut. 75: “pingere hominis speciem,” id. de Or. 2, 16, 69: “Helenae simulacrum,” id. Inv. 2, 1, 1: “Nero princeps jusserat colosseum se pingi,” Plin. 35, 7, 33, § 51.—Prov.: “quae dicunt ii, qui numquam philosophum pictum, ut dicitur, viderunt, of those who speak of things they know nothing about,” Cic. Fin. 5, 27, 80.— Of embroidering (with or without acu): “textile stragulum, magnificis operibus pictum,” Cic. Tusc. 5, 21, 61: “pingere acu,” Ov. M. 6, 23: “picti reges,” in embroidered garments, Mart. 10, 72, 7: “picti tori,” with embroidered coverlets, Ov. H. 12, 30: “toga,” the embroidered toga worn by a triumphing commander, Lampr. Alex. Sev. 40: “tapetes,” Vulg. Prov. 7, 16.—Pass. in mid. force: “pingi,” to paint the face, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 11.—
B. Transf.
1. To paint, stain, color with any thing (mostly poet.): “palloribus omnia pingunt,” Lucr. 4, 311; 2, 375: “sanguineis frontem moris et tempora pingit,” Verg. E. 6, 22; 2, 50; Mart. 14, 5, 2: “multas facies,” Juv. 9, 146: “oculos,” id. 2, 94; so, “oculos stibio,” Vulg. Jer. 4, 30. —Esp., to tattoo: “Agathyrsi ora artusque pingunt iisdem omnes notis, et sic ut ablui nequeunt,” Mel. 2, 1, 10: “membraque qui ferro gaudet pinxisse Gelonus,” Claud. in Ruf. 1, 313.—
2. To adorn, decorate, embellish: “herbas floribus,” Lucr. 5, 1396: “bibliothecam aliquā re,” Cic. Att. 4, 5, 3: “stellis pingitur aether,” Sen. Med. 310.—
II. Trop., of style, to paint, color, embellish: “verba,” Cic. Brut. 37, 141: “tabula, quam Cleanthes sane commode verbis depingere solebat,” id. Fin. 2, 21, 69: “locus, quem ego varie meis orationibus soleo pingere,” id. Att. 1, 14, 3: “modo mihi date Britanniam, quam pingam coloribus tuis penicillo meo,” id. Q. Fr. 2, 15, a, 2: “hunc (virum) omnibus a me pictum et politum artis coloribus subito deformatum vidi,” id. Att. 2, 21, 4.—Hence, pictus , a, um, P. a., painted, colored, of various colors.
A. Lit.: “volucres,” Verg. A. 4, 525: “pelles,” id. G. 4, 342: “absint et picti squalentia terga lacerti,” id. ib. 4, 13: “puppes,” id. A. 5, 663: “carinae,” id. ib. 8, 93.—
B. Transf., tattooed: “Geloni,” Verg. G. 2, 115: “Agathyrsi,” id. A. 4, 146 Forbig. ad loc.; Prisc. Perieg. 302.—
2. Of style, ornamented, ornate: orationis pictum et expolitum genus, Cic. Or. 27, 96: “Lysiā nihil potest esse pictius,” id. Brut. 95, 293.—
3. Merely painted, i. e. unreal, false, deceptive, empty, vain: “pictos experiere metus,” Prop. 4 (5), 6, 50.