Metaball

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A computer graphics primitive whose density field fades around a center point so that nearby blobs blend smoothly into one surface
2. An implicit surface modeled as soft, rounded volumes that fuse together when they come close, used to render organic-looking forms in 3D graphics
3. A soft-edged geometric element in 3D modeling whose influence falls off with distance, allowing separate forms to merge into a single smooth shape

Etymology: "Metaball" is a compound of "meta-" and "ball," and the "meta-" here is not the familiar Greek prefix meaning "beyond" or "after." In computer graphics, the term describes a kind of implicit surface: separate blobs that merge smoothly when they come close together, so that two spheres touching can appear as one fluid, organic shape. The word is a modern technical coinage built from parts that were already in English, rather than a term with a long history behind it. The "ball" element is plain English, and the joined form reflects what the technique does: the shapes behave like balls that blend into one another. The prefix carries the sense of a transformation or change of state, which suits surfaces that flow and merge instead of remaining discrete objects. Because the word belongs to the vocabulary of 3D modelling and rendering, its meaning is tied to that field and is not a general-purpose term for blobby things.