rendering

American  

[ren-der-ing] / ˈrɛn dər ɪŋ /

noun

1. Digital Technology.

   1. the synthesis of discrete digital components into a final graphic output.

      With hardware acceleration, the browser should also be able to handle full-screen rendering to play videos in cinema view.

      The new modeling tool offers state-of-the-art rendering and simulation of hair in gameplay and in cinematics.

   2. the execution of loading and displaying objects, textures, geometry, lighting, etc., in a video game.

      Players complained that slow rendering caused an “invisible enemies glitch” on older consoles.

2. an act or instance of interpretation, rendition, or depiction, as of a dramatic part or a musical composition.

   Many critics praised the modern band’s renderings of Gregorian chants on their second album.

3. a translation.

   This rendering of Dante’s text was devoid of the necessary cultural context, and fell far short of other translations.

4. a representation of a building, interior, etc., executed in perspective and usually done for purposes of presentation.

5. an official finding or a judgment, as one formally pronounced by a court.

   One must follow the new constitution without considering any legal renderings of the past.

6. Cooking. Usually renderings fat extracted from a rendered piece of beef, pork, sausage, etc..

   Toss the greens in a skillet with a spoonful of heated bacon renderings and some crumbled bacon for less than a minute.

7. Building Trades. render.

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rendering British  

/ ˈrɛndərɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or an instance of performing a play, piece of music, etc

2. a translation of a text from a foreign language

3. Also called: rendering coat.   render.  a coat of plaster or cement mortar applied to a surface

4. a perspective drawing showing an architect's idea of a finished building, interior, etc

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Etymology

Origin of rendering

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English (gerund); render ¹ + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Anything that's been interpreted in an artistic form is a rendering — a song, a drawing, a theatrical performance. On a more technical note, an architect's drawing or plan is known as a rendering. While we're still architect-related, the coat of stucco placed over the surface of a masonry wall can be a rendering as well. Rendering can also represent the giving of something, as in Gandhi's famous quote, that "We win justice quickest by rendering justice to the other party." Don't associate rendering with the verb rend — which means quite the opposite — "to break apart or destroy."

Example Sentences

Already, the excess heat in the tank has caused the MMA to harden and clog the failing tank’s valves, rendering it impossible for crews to drain the dangerous chemical or add stabilizing agents, Freeman said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

More recently, a senior US intelligence officer said he saw "countless orange orbs swarming in all directions" last year rendering him "speechless".

From BBC • May 22, 2026

The bridge pinches off faster than light could traverse it, rendering it non-traversable.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

Given recent dire warnings of late about artificial intelligence rendering many jobs obsolete, the offer looks particularly enticing.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

One night I played at a ball held for privates, petty officers, and their camp followers in a factory once devoted to the rendering of fish-oil.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• reading
• rendition
• translation