Meanings
drawing1
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of draw
drawing2
plural drawings · alternative dwg
- countableuncountableA picture, likeness, diagram or representation, usually drawn on paper.
While you see some of our exploration on camera, I also spent many happy hours between shoots with Chris Nix, digging out dozens of wonderful plans, maps and drawings of projects that I never knew existed, and some that never did exist.
2021 June 30, Tim Dunn, “How we made... Secrets of the London Underground”, in RAIL, number 934, page 501 more example
Drawings and pictures are more than mere ornaments in scientific discourse. Blackboard sketches, geological maps, diagrams of molecular structure, astronomical photographs, MRI images, the many varieties of statistical charts and graphs: These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story.
2012 March 28, Brian Hayes, “Pixels or Perish”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 19 Feb 2013, page 106 - uncountableThe act of producing such a picture.
- countableuncountableSuch acts practiced as a graphic art form.
- countableuncountableThe process of drawing or pulling something.
Proverb: An official is great in his office as a well is rich in drawings of water.
- countableuncountableA small portion of tea for steeping.
[…] the tea-kettle was presently steaming like an engine, and an extra large "drawing of tea" was steeping on the hearth.
1853, Alice Cary, Clovernook
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe creation of artistic pictures or diagrams
nounplayers buy (or are given) chances and prizes are distributed by casting lots
nounact of getting or draining something such as electricity or a liquid from a source
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
drawing · verb
- Proto-Germanic*draganą“to draw; pull”
- Proto-Germanic*dragandz“drawing”
- Old Englishdragende
- Middle Englishdrauinge
- Englishdrawing
From Middle English drauinge, drawinge, alteration of earlier drawende, drawand, from Old English dragende, from Proto-Germanic *dragandz (“drawing”), present participle of Proto-Germanic *draganą (“to draw; pull”), equivalent to draw + -ing.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →drawing · noun
- Middle Englishdrauing
- Englishdrawing
From Middle English drauing, drawing, equivalent to draw + -ing.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic رَسْم, رَسْم
- رَسْم (rasm)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- رَسْم (rasm)act of producing a picture
Bulgarian рису́нка, черте́ж
- рису́нка (risúnka)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- черте́ж (čertéž)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- рису́ване (risúvane)act of producing a picture
- черта́не (čertáne)act of producing a picture
- те́глене (téglene)action where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Catalan dibuix
- dibuixpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
Chinese Mandarin 圖畫 /图画, 圖片 /图片
- 圖畫 /图画 (túhuà)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- 圖片 /图片 (túpiàn)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- 繪圖 /绘图 (huìtú)act of producing a picture
- 抽籤 /抽签 (chōuqiān)action where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Czech kresba, nákres
- kresbapicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- nákrespicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- kresbaact of producing a picture
- kresleníact of producing a picture
- rozlosováníaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Danish tegning
- tegningpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
Dutch tekening, tekenen
- tekeningpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- tekenenact of producing a picture
- tekenengraphic art form
- tekenkunstgraphic art form
Esperanto desegnaĵo, desegnado
- desegnaĵopicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- desegnadoact of producing a picture
- desegnadographic art form
- loterioaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Estonian joonistus, joonistamine
- joonistuspicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- joonistamineact of producing a picture
Finnish piirros, piirustus
- piirrospicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- piirustuspicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- piirtäminenact of producing a picture
- piirustusgraphic art form
- nostoarvontaaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
French dessin, dessin
- dessinpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- dessingraphic art form
- pigeaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
German Zeichnung, Bild
- Zeichnungpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- Bildpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- Zeichnengraphic art form
- Auslosungaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
- Ziehungaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Greek σχέδιο, σχεδίασμα
- σχέδιο (schédio)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- σχεδίασμα (schedíasma)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- σχεδίαση (schedíasi)act of producing a picture
- σχέδιο (schédio)graphic art form
- κλήρωση (klírosi)action where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Hindi चित्र, रेखाचित्र
- चित्र (citra)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- रेखाचित्र (rekhācitra)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- चित्रण (citraṇ)act of producing a picture
Hungarian rajz
- rajzpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
Italian disegno
- disegnopicture, likeness, diagram or representation
Japanese 絵, 素描
- 絵 (e)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- 素描 (sobyō)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- 図画 (zuga)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- デッサン (dessan)graphic art form
- ドローイング (dorōingu)graphic art form
- 抽選 (chūsen)action where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Korean 그림, 소묘
- 그림 (geurim)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- 소묘 (somyo)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- 도화 (dohwa)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- 추첨 (chucheom)action where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Latin imago, descriptio
- imagopicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- descriptiopicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- formapicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- designatiopicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- graphidis scientiaact of producing a picture
- graphisgraphic art form
- lineamentaaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
- adumbratioaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Latvian zīmējums
- zīmējumspicture, likeness, diagram or representation
Lithuanian piešinys
- piešinyspicture, likeness, diagram or representation
Māori tātuhi
- tātuhipicture, likeness, diagram or representation
Norwegian Bokmål tegning, tegning
- tegningpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- tegningact of producing a picture
- tegninggraphic art form
Polish rysunek, rysunek
- rysunekpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- rysunekgraphic art form
- losowanieaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Portuguese desenho, desenhação
- desenhopicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- desenhaçãoact of producing a picture
- desenhographic art form
- sorteioaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Romanian desen, desenare
- desenpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- desenarepicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- desenareact of producing a picture
- desenatact of producing a picture
- desengraphic art form
- tragereaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Russian рису́нок, чертёж
- рису́нок (risúnok)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- чертёж (čertjóž)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- карти́нка f диагра́мма (kartínka)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- схе́ма (sxéma)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- рисова́ние (risovánije)act of producing a picture
- черче́ние (čerčénije)act of producing a picture
- рисова́ние (risovánije)graphic art form
- жеребьёвка (žerebʹjóvka)action where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
- ро́зыгрыш (rózygryš)action where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Slovak kresba, kresba
- kresbapicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- kresbaact of producing a picture
- výkresact of producing a picture
Spanish dibujo, esquema
- dibujopicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- esquemapicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- croquispicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- dibujaract of producing a picture
- dibujographic art form
- sorteoaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
- rifaaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Swahili mchoro, uchoraji
- mchoropicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- uchorajiact of producing a picture
- mchorographic art form
- mchoroaction where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Swedish ritning, teckning
- ritningpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- teckningpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
Tamil ஓவியம், படம்
- ஓவியம் (ōviyam)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- படம் (paṭam)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- கீறல் (kīṟal)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
Thai รูปภาพ
- รูปภาพ (rûup-pâap)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
Turkish çizim, resim
- çizimpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- resimpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- çizmeact of producing a picture
Ukrainian рису́нок, малю́нок
- рису́нок (rysúnok)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- малю́нок (maljúnok)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- кре́слення (kréslennja)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- малюва́ння (maljuvánnja)act of producing a picture
- кре́слення (kréslennja)act of producing a picture
- жеребкува́ння (žerebkuvánnja)action where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
- ро́зіграш (rózihraš)action where the outcome is selected by chance using a draw
Urdu تَصْوِیر, رَسْم
- تَصْوِیر (tasvīr)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
- رَسْم (rasm)picture, likeness, diagram or representation
Vietnamese hình vẽ, hình họa
- hình vẽpicture, likeness, diagram or representation
- hình họapicture, likeness, diagram or representation
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
drawing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drawing
“drawing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drawing. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “drawing,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drawing.
Source: drawing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.