Rasterise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To transform a scalable vector graphic into a pixel-based image by defining its structure using an array of individual picture elements
2. The process entails changing vector illustrations into a bitmap format, thereby representing shapes and colors with specific pixel arrangements
3. To convert a vector image into a raster format, simplifying its representation as a grid of pixels while maintaining the overall visual appearance

Etymology: "Raster" came into English from German, where "Raster" meant a screen, grating or frame, and a raster image is built from rows of tiny dots much like the lines of a grid. "Rasterise" is simply "raster" plus the suffix "-ise", a verb-forming ending that English took from French and that traces back through Latin and Greek to a Greek suffix meaning "to make or treat in a certain way". The verb therefore means, in effect, "to turn something into a raster." The suffix does the heavy lifting here. Used on nouns, "-ise" produces verbs such as "organise" or "jeopardise", and it is the same ending found in "realise" and "modernise". Attaching it to a technical noun is a routine way of making a new verb, and "rasterise" follows that pattern exactly.

Synonyms: rasterize