Foveation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌfəʊviˈeɪʃən/

Definitions

1. A process in which visual perception is optimized by concentrating on specific areas of interest while blurring others
2. the act of focusing sharply on a point while the surrounding area remains out of focus
3. a technique used in both physiology and imaging to improve detail by targeting particular regions of a visual field

Etymology: Foveation is a late, technical formation built from the adjective "foveate", which describes something marked with small pits or depressions, and the suffix "-ion", which turns a verb-like action into a noun. "Foveate" itself comes from the Latin "fovea", meaning a pit or small hole, the same root that gives English words for shallow depressions in the body and in plant and animal surfaces. The suffix arrived through a long line of Latin "-tio" nouns, passing through Old French "-ation" and Middle English "-acioun" before settling into the modern English form. The word is a simple combination of an existing English adjective and a familiar suffix, so there is no older sense to recover. Its meaning in photography and image processing is a modern extension of the literal idea of making something pitted or hollowed, and the term was coined in that technical sense rather than inherited from classical usage.