cartoon is any of several forms of illustrations, with varied meanings that evolved from one to another.

Historical meaning :

In its original meaning, a cartoon (from the Italian cartone and Dutch/Flemish word "karton", meaning strong, heavy paper or pasteboard) is a full-size drawing made on paper as a study for a further drawings, such as a painting or tapestry. Cartoons were typically used in the production of frescoes, to accurately link the component parts of the composition when painted onto plaster over a series of days. Such cartoons often have pinpricks where the outline of the design has been picked out in the plaster. Cartoons by painters such as Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci are highly prized in their own right. A world-renowned collection of Peter Paul Rubens cartoons for huge tapestries is displayed in the collection of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida.Originally, a full-size drawing used for transferring a design to a painting, tapestry, or other large work. Cartoons were used from the 15th century by fresco painters and stained-glass artists. In the 19th century the term acquired its popular meaning of a humorous drawing or parody. Cartoons in that sense are used today to convey political commentary, editorial opinion, and social comedy in newspapers and magazines. The greatest early figure is William Hogarth, in 18th-century Britain. In 19th-century France, Honoré Daumier introduced accompanying text that conveyed his characters' unspoken thoughts. Britain's Punch became the foremost 19th-century venue for cartoons; in the 20th century The New Yorker set the American standard. A Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning was established in 1922. See also caricature; comic strip.

A drawing depicting a humorous situation, often accompanied by a caption.

A drawing representing current public figures or issues symbolically and often satirically: a political cartoon.

A preliminary sketch similar in size to the work, such as a fresco, that is to be copied from it.

An animated cartoon.

A comic strip.

A ridiculously oversimplified or stereotypical representation: criticized the actor's portrayal of Jefferson as a historically inaccurate cartoon.