photo

Word family

• photograph
  nounA2
• photograph
  verbB1
• photographer
  nounA2
• photography
  nounB1
• photographic
  adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For everyday spoken English, 'photo' is the usual choice. 'Photograph' means the same thing, but it sounds a little more complete and is more common in careful writing, captions, or formal instructions. 'Picture' is wider: it can mean a photo, but it can also mean a drawing or painting, so it is less exact. 'Snapshot' suggests a quick, informal photo, often taken without much planning. For example, you can say 'Send me the photo from dinner tonight,' but 'The museum bought a rare photograph from 1910.' If your child takes a fast holiday shot, 'snapshot' fits better than 'photograph'.

Etymology

Photo began as a shorter English form of photograph in the nineteenth century. Photograph came through French from Greek parts meaning 'light' and 'write or record'. That same Greek form, phot-, also became the English prefix photo-, which is why many scientific words about light and many words about photography start with photo-.