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halftone

[ haf-tohn, hahf- ]
/ ˈhæfˌtoʊn, ˈhɑf- /
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noun
Also called middle-tone. (in painting, drawing, graphics, photography, etc.) a value intermediate between light and dark.
Printing.
  1. a process in which gradation of tone in an image is conveyed by first photographing the image through a screen to break up the continuous tones of the image into minute, closely spaced dots, then using the print obtained to produce a metal plate by photoengraving, and finally using the plate to reproduce the original image by letterpress or offset printing.
  2. the metal plate used in such a process.
  3. the print obtained in such a process.Compare line cut.
adjective
pertaining to, using, used in, or produced by the halftone process: a halftone screen; a halftone print.
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Origin of halftone

First recorded in 1645–55; half + tone

Words nearby halftone

half tide, half tiger, half-timbered, halftime, half title, halftone, half-track, half-truth, half-turn, half-turning, half twist

Other definitions for halftone (2 of 2)

half tone
noun Music.
semitone.

Origin of half tone

First recorded in 1645–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to halftone

cartoon, decoration, depiction, engraving, etching, image, painting, photo, photograph, picture, sketch, snapshot, vignette, adornment, design, figure, frontispiece, plate, tailpiece, line drawing

How to use halftone in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for halftone

halftone
/ (ˈhɑːfˌtəʊn) /
noun
  1. a process used to reproduce an illustration by photographing it through a fine screen to break it up into dots
  2. the etched plate thus obtained
  3. the print obtained from such a plate
art a tonal value midway between highlight and dark shading
music, US and Canadian another word for semitone
adjective
relating to, used in, or made by halftone
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
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