dīəˈramə, -rämə, -rȧmə noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from dia- + -orama (as in panorama, from English)
1.
a. : a scenic representation in which a partly translucent painting is seen from a distance through an opening, the light shining through the painting being varied to achieve varying effects (as of changes in weather)
b. : a building used for an exhibition of such representations
2.
a. : a scenic representation (as of a theatrical stage) in which sculptured figures and lifelike details are displayed usually in miniature so as to blend indistinguishably with a realistic painted background
b. chiefly Britain : an imagined succession of brilliant scenes or episodes imperceptibly merging one into another like a pageant in miniature
the style of Macaulay … is a diorama of political pictures — Walter Bagehot
3.
a. : a scale model usually under glass exhibiting with precise detail some phenomenon of nature or the layout of some engineering project
a diorama indicating how a dam and powerhouse will look on completion
b. : a life-size exhibit of a wildlife specimen or scene mounted in the midst of realistically reproduced natural surroundings merging into a painted background
recessed dioramas of Colorado wildlife — Catherine L. Barker
c. : a miniature set used in television to represent a location that cannot be constructed in its actual size in the studio