Rasterization

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The technique involves transforming vector graphics into a pixel grid representation, enabling the rendering of images defined by mathematical expressions into a raster format suitable for display
2. This process refers to converting geometric shapes in vector files into a grid of pixels, facilitating the visualization of graphics in a rasterized form
3. The method encompasses converting vector-based graphics into a raster image, which consists of a matrix of pixels that can be easily displayed on screens

Etymology: "Rasterization" is a plain formation: the noun "raster" with the suffix "-ization" added. The base "raster" was borrowed into English from German "Raster," meaning a grid or screen, which ultimately goes back to Latin "rastrum," a rake, the same tool that gives "rastrum" its sense of a grid of lines. The idea of a rake's regular teeth became a regular pattern of lines, and in printing and television that pattern became the scanning grid that builds an image. The suffix does the verbal work. "-ize" comes through Latin "-izare" from Greek "-izein" and entered English through French, so "raster" plus "-ize" gives "to convert into a raster." Adding "-ation" turns that action into a noun, so "rasterization" names the process of turning an image or shape into a grid of pixels. It is a technical coinage from computer graphics, built from older parts rather than a classical word handed down through the centuries.

Synonyms: pixelation, bitmap conversion