also bio-pic, 1951, a contraction of biographical (moving) picture. Frequent from mid-1951 in Billboard magazine and possibly coined by staffers there.

"photograph picture obtained by the use of cyanide," 1842, from cyan- + ending from daguerreotype (see type (n.)).

c. 1200, "that which is painted, a picture depicted with paint," verbal noun from paint (v.). From late 14c. as "art of depicting by means of paint."

mid-14c., "to form a mental image of," from Old French imaginer "sculpt, carve, paint; decorate, embellish" (13c.), from Latin imaginari "to form a mental picture, picture to oneself, imagine" (also, in Late Latin imaginare "to form an image of, represent"), from imago "an image, a likeness," from stem of imitari "to copy, imitate" (from PIE root *aim- "to copy"). Sense of "suppose, assume" is first recorded late 14c. Related: Imagined; imagining.

1881 in biology, "the single or sole type of a species in its genus, a genus in its family, etc.;" 1882 in printers' arts, "a print from a picture painted on a metal plate" (only one proof can be made, as the picture is transferred to the paper); 1893 as a brand name of typesetting machine; see mono- + type. Related: Monotypic (1878 in the biological sense)

"the art of making portraits; a painting, picture, or drawing," late 14c., from Old French portraiture "portrait, image, portrayal, resemblance" (12c.), from portrait (see portrait).