Digicams

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Compact cameras that record images electronically onto memory cards rather than onto photographic film
2. Handheld devices that capture still pictures digitally and store them for viewing on a screen or transfer to a computer
3. Small electronic cameras that take photographs in digital form, often built into phones or sold as standalone gadgets

Etymology: "Digicams" is simply the plural of "digicam," a clipped form of "digital camera" that began life as a trade name. Its parts are "digi-," the combining form of "digital," and "cam," short for "camera." The shortening follows the familiar pattern of blending a modifier with a clipped noun, the same route that produced words like "mp3" and "sitcom" in other corners of the language, though the source does not give a date for when the term first appeared.

Synonyms: digital camera