/ kɑːˈtuːn; NAmE kɑːrˈt-/ noun
1.
an amusing drawing in a newspaper or magazine, especially one about politics or events in the news
2.
= comic strip
3.
(also ˌanimated carˈtoon ) a film / movie made by photographing a series of gradually changing drawings or models, so that they look as if they are moving :
a Walt Disney cartoon
a cartoon character
4.
( technical ) a drawing made by an artist as a preparation for a painting
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent. (in sense 4): from Italian cartone , from carta , from Latin carta , charta , from Greek khartēs papyrus leaf. Sense 1 dates from the mid 19th cent.