Pixelations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A process of altering an image by replacing its details with small blocks of color to obscure the original subject
2. The visual effect created when an image is displayed at a low resolution, leading to a blocky appearance
3. A technique used in digital media to distort or censor content, making it unrecognizable through the use of square color elements

Etymology: Pixelations is the plural of pixelation, a noun built from "pixel" and the suffix "-ation," which turns a verb into a noun for the act or result of doing something. The verb "pixelate" adds "-ate" to the same base. "Pixel" is a clipping of "picture element," the name for the smallest unit of a digital image. The process was named after that unit, so the blocky effect used to hide faces or details takes its name from the tiny squares that create it.

Synonyms: mosaics, visuals, images, graphics, pictures