GIF

See also: .gif, Gif, and gif

English

Alternative forms

• gif, Gif

Etymology

Acronym of graphics interchange format.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɪf/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɪf/
  • Homophones: jif, jiff

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

    ,

    Audio (US):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪf

Noun

GIF (plural GIFs)

1. (computing) A bitmap image in a particular format with support for multiple images per file or animations, and up to 256 distinct colors per frame, including a fully transparent color.

   I'll send you a GIF of the proposed logo.

2. (Internet slang, loosely) Any short video without audio, usually one which loops.
   • 2021 May 1, Constance Grady, quoting Sarah D. Bunting, “The Day Dawson Cried”, in Vox‎^[1]:

     Crying Dawson ruled the internet comment sections of the late ’00s and early ’10s. It’s “on the Mount Rushmore of GIFs,” says TV critic Sarah D. Bunting.

3. (Internet, by extension) Any short video, in a format directly supported by HTML5 (ie. GIF, MP4, WebM)

Usage notes

Steve Wilhite, who invented the file format for CompuServe in 1987, has argued that the hard-G pronunciation /ɡ/ is "wrong" and accepted a 2013 award under a display reading "It's pronounced 'JIF' NOT 'GIF'". The hard-G pronunciation is, however, in more widespread use (although some argue that this is a result of not surveying the whole population).

In the post-HTML5 introduction era, .GIF extensions have frequently been used attached to non-GIF formatted videos, using HTML5 compatible video file formats and encoding formats, frequently, MP4 and WebM. In the pre-HTML5 introduction period, the ANG and MNG were to be replacements for the GIF format under PNG formatting.

Derived terms

• anigif
• gifset
• reaction GIF

Descendants

• Translingual: .gif

Translations

short video without audio

• Esperanto: GIF
• German: Gif (de) n
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: gîf f, GÎF f

• Portuguese: GIF (pt)
• Russian: GIF-файл m (GIF-fajl), ги́фка (ru) f (gífka) (slang)

Verb

GIF (third-person singular simple present GIFs, present participle GIFing, simple past and past participle GIFed)

1. To create a GIF file of; (inexact) to create a similar animated image file of.

   He GIFed the highlights of the debate

   • 2013 December 16, Caitlin Dewey, “Two-year-old Photoshopped Jennifer Lawrence magazine cover draws criticism”, in The Washington Post‎^[2]:

     In fact, it seems this latest round of interest in the 2011 cover was sparked by the GIF-ing of Lawrence’s pre- and post-Photoshopped image, which made the rounds on Tumblr before seeping out to blogs like Crushable.

Anagrams

• FGI, Fig, GFI, IGF, fig, fig.

German

Etymology

Borrowed from English GIF.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: GIF

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Noun

GIF n (strong, genitive GIFs, plural GIFs)

1. GIF

Declension

Declension of GIF [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	GIF	die	GIFs
genitive	eines	des	GIFs	der	GIFs
dative	einem	dem	GIF	den	GIFs
accusative	ein	das	GIF	die	GIFs