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graphics

[graf-iks]
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noun
  1. (used with a singular verb) the art of drawing, especially as used in mathematics, engineering, etc.
  2. (used with a plural verb) graphic arts(def 1).
  3. (used with a plural verb) Movies, Television. the titles, credits, subtitles, announcements, etc., shown on the screen before, or as part of, a film or television program.
  4. (used with a singular verb) the science of calculating by diagrams.
  5. (used with a singular or plural verb) Computers. computer graphics.
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adjective
  1. Computers. pertaining to pictorial information displayed, plotted, or printed by a computer: When you draw a picture on a graphics tablet the computer displays the same picture on the screen.
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Origin of graphics

First recorded in 1885–90; see origin at graphic, -ics

graphic

[graf-ik]
adjective Also graph·i·cal.
  1. giving a clear and effective picture; vivid: a graphic account of an earthquake.
  2. pertaining to the use of diagrams, graphs, mathematical curves, or the like; diagrammatic.
  3. of, relating to, or expressed by writing: graphic symbols.
  4. written, inscribed, or drawn.
  5. depicted in a realistic or vivid manner: graphic sex and violence.
  6. containing graphic descriptions: a graphic movie.
  7. Geology. (of a rock) having a texture formed by the intergrowth of certain minerals so as to resemble written characters.
  8. Mathematics. pertaining to the determination of values, solution of problems, etc., by direct measurement on diagrams instead of by ordinary calculations.
  9. of or relating to the graphic arts.
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noun
  1. a product of the graphic arts, as a drawing or print.
  2. a computer-generated image.
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Origin of graphic

1630–40; < Latin graphicus of painting or drawing < Greek graphikós able to draw or paint, equivalent to gráph(ein) to draw, write + -ikos -ic; cognate with carve
Related formsgraph·i·cal·ly, adverbgraph·i·cal·ness, graph·ic·ness, nounnon·graph·ic, adjectivenon·graph·i·cal, adjectivenon·graph·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·graph·i·cal·ness, nounun·graph·ic, adjectiveun·graph·i·cal, adjectiveun·graph·i·cal·ly, adverb

Synonyms

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1. striking, telling; detailed. See picturesque.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

artworkpictures

Examples from the Web for graphics

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • But in that case you are tied to call, and this fixity of programme is objected to by 'Graphics.'

  • This would have placed "Graphics" alongside of the copy-book and the spelling-book.

    In the School-Room

    John S. Hart

  • A friend had lent me two Graphics, which I left on my blanket for a few minutes while I went the rounds.

  • He turned our baggage out on to a mat, and evidently meant to overhaul it thoroughly, when a few Daily Graphics caught his eye.

  • Two damaged word puzzles have been restored in a graphics program, using the page-scans of the damaged originals as patterns.

British Dictionary definitions for graphics

graphics

noun
  1. (functioning as singular) the process or art of drawing in accordance with mathematical principles
  2. (functioning as singular) the study of writing systems
  3. (functioning as plural) the drawings, photographs, etc, in the layout of a magazine or book, or in a television or film production
  4. (functioning as plural) the information displayed on a visual display unit or on a computer printout in the form of diagrams, graphs, pictures, and symbols
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graphic

graphical

adjective
  1. vividly or clearly describeda graphic account of the disaster
  2. sexually explicit
  3. of or relating to writing or other inscribed representationsgraphic symbols
  4. maths using, relating to, or determined by a grapha graphic representation of the figures
  5. of or relating to the graphic arts
  6. geology having or denoting a texture formed by intergrowth of the crystals to resemble writinggraphic granite
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Derived Formsgraphically or graphicly, adverbgraphicalness or graphicness, noun

Word Origin

C17: from Latin graphicus, from Greek graphikos, from graphein to write; see carve
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for graphics

n.

1889, in reference to the use of diagrams, from graphic; also see -ics. Layout and typography sense attested from 1960; of computers by 1966.

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graphic

adj.

"vivid," 1570s (implied in graphically), from Latin graphicus "picturesque," from Greek graphikos "of or for writing, belonging to drawing, picturesque," from graphe "writing, drawing," from graphein "to write" (see -graphy). Meaning "of or pertaining to drawing" is from 1756. Related: Graphically. Graphic design is attested by 1956. Graphic equalizer is from 1969.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
graphics in Science

graphics

[grăf′ĭks]
  1. The representation of data in a way that includes images in addition to or instead of text. Computer-aided design, typesetting, and video games, for example, involve the use of graphics.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.