The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Portray \Por*tray"\, v. t. [Written also pourtray.] [imp. & p.
   p. portrayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Portraying.] [OE.
   pourtraien, OF. portraire, pourtraire, F. portraire, fr. L.
   protrahere, protractum, to draw or drag forth; pro forward,
   forth + trahere to draw. See Trace, v. t., and cf.
   Protract.]
   1. To paint or draw the likeness of; as, to portray a king on
      horseback.
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            Take a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray
            upon it the city, even Jerusalem.     --Ezek. iv. 1.
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   2. Hence, figuratively, to describe in words.
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   3. To adorn with pictures. [R.]
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            Spear and helmets thronged, and shields
            Various with boastful arguments potrayed. --Milton.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

portraying
    n 1: a representation by picture or portraiture [syn:
         depicting, depiction, portraying, portrayal]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

26 Moby Thesaurus words for "portraying":
   apish, delineatory, depictive, echoic, embodying, figurative,
   graphic, ideographic, illustrational, illustrative, imitative,
   incarnating, limning, mimetic, mimish, onomatopoeic, personifying,
   pictographic, pictorial, representational, representative,
   representing, simulative, symbolizing, typifying, vivid