Upsampling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The procedure designed to enhance the detail of digital images by generating additional data points
2. The process of raising the resolution of digital information by adding extra data samples
3. Creating more detailed data from a lower-resolution digital source by increasing its sampling rate

Etymology: "Upsampling" is a technical coinage from the world of digital signal processing, built from two plain English parts: "up," meaning to a higher level or greater amount, and "sample," a measured reading taken from a continuous signal, such as a snapshot of sound or light at a given moment. The verb "upsample" therefore means to take more samples than the original recording contained, adding new points between existing ones so a signal or image has a finer grid. The "sample" half has its own history. It was borrowed into English from Old French "essample," meaning example or specimen, and gradually narrowed in meaning to a small representative portion of something. Engineers in the twentieth century applied the term to the discrete measurements made when converting a continuous signal into digital form, which is why the two words now sit together so neatly.

Synonyms: resampling, interpolation, enhancement, enlargement, upscaling

Antonyms: downsampling, decimation, reduction, compression, diminution