picturesque adj.

early 14c., peintour, "artist who paints pictures," from Old French peintor, from Latin pictor "a painter," from pingere (see paint (v.)). Sense of "workman who colors surfaces with paint" is from c. 1400. As a surname, Painter is attested from mid-13c. but it is difficult to say which sense is meant. Related: Painterly.

also *peik-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to cut, mark by incision," hence "embroider, paint."

It forms all or part of: depict; file (n.2) "metal tool for abrading or smoothing;" paint; pictogram; pictograph; pictorial; picture; picturesque; pigment; pimento; pint; pinto.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit pimsati "to carve, hew out, cut to measure, adorn;" Greek pikros "bitter, sharp, pointed, piercing, painful," poikilos "spotted, pied, various;" Latin pingere "to embroider, tattoo, paint, picture;" Old Church Slavonic pila "file, saw," pegu "variegated," pisati "to write;" Lithuanian piela "file," piešiu, piešti "to write;" Old High German fehjan "to adorn."