Digitalize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˌdɪdʒɪtəˈlaɪz/

Definitions

1. The process involves converting analog information into a format that digital systems can utilize effectively
2. This transformation entails changing traditional data types into digital versions that computers can process
3. To change data from a physical or analog format into a digital representation suitable for processing on electronic devices

Etymology: "Digitalize" is built from "digital" plus the suffix "-ize," meaning "to make" or "to cause to become." The source also allows a second possible route through the Latin "digitalis," which relates to "digit" in the sense of finger, and the word "digital" itself comes from the same Latin base, since counting on fingers gave us both the idea of a digit as a numeral and the adjective for numerical or discrete values. Combining the two, "digitalize" means to convert something into a digital form, usually information that was once held on paper, film, or other physical media. The verb is used mainly in its meaning of turning analogue material into computer-readable data. Its most common use is in phrases such as "digitalize the archive," where documents are scanned and stored electronically. The meaning is literal: the word describes making the change itself, and it is most often applied to records, recordings, and images.

Synonyms: digitize, computerize, encode