pixel

See also: Pixel and píxel

English

Etymology

pix (“pictures”), + el(ement); often taken to be a blend of “picture” and “element”. The x stems from the abbreviation pics being sometimes also written as pix, which has been in use since the 1880s. First attested in 1965.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɪksəl/, /ˈpɪksɛl/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪksəl

Noun

pixel (plural pixels)

1. One of the tiny dots that make up the representation of an image in a computer's memory.
   • 1965 April, Fred C. Billingsley, “Digital Video Processing at JPL”, in Eugene B. Turner, editor, Electronic Imaging Techniques I, Proceedings of SPIE, volume 3, Los Angeles:

     We have chosen to sample at a 500 KC rate and we define each one of these samples as a picture element or pixel. We have sampled each pixel with 6-bit accuracy which is commensurate with the signal/noise ratio and the data accuracy.

2. One of the squares that make up a pixel art work or a zoomed in image in a computer.

Synonyms

• pel (rare)
• pictel (dated)
• px

Hyponyms

• gigapixel
• macropixel
• megapixel
• micropixel
• terapixel

Derived terms

• dixel
• pixel art
• pixelated
• pixelation
• pixelization
• pixellated
• subpixel
• texel
• trixel
• voxel

 

Related terms

• peep pixels
• pixel peeper

Translations

one of the tiny dots that make up the representation of an image in a computer's memory

• Arabic: بِكْسِل‎ m (biksil)
• Belarusian: пі́ксэль m (píkselʹ)
• Catalan: píxel (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 像素 (zh) (xiàngsù)

• Czech: pixel (cs) m
• Danish: pixel (da)
• Dutch: pixel (nl)
• Esperanto: pikselo, bildero, bildopunkto, rastrumero
• Finnish: pikseli (fi), kuvapiste
• French: pixel (fr) m
• German: Pixel (de) n, Bildpunkt m, Bildelement n
• Greek: εικονοστοιχείο (el) n (eikonostoicheío), εικονοψηφίδα (el) f (eikonopsifída)
• Hebrew: פִּיקְסֶל‎ (he) m (piksel), פִּיקְסֶלִים‎ m pl (pikselím)
• Hungarian: képpont (hu)
• Icelandic: díll m, myndeining f, punktur (is) m
• Italian: pixel (it) m
• Japanese: ピクセル (pikuseru), 画素 (gaso), 絵素 (eso)

• Kazakh: пиксель (pïkselʹ)
• Korean: 화소(畫素) (hwaso), 픽셀 (piksel)
• Malay: piksel
• Maori: pika
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: piksel m

  Nynorsk: piksel m

• Polish: piksel (pl)
• Portuguese: pixel (pt) m, píxel (pt) m
• Romanian: pixel m
• Russian: пи́ксель (ru) m (píkselʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: piksel (sh) m
• Sindhi: عَڪسِل‎ (sd) f
• Spanish: píxel m, pixel (es) m
• Swedish: pixel (sv) c
• Ukrainian: пі́ксель m (píkselʹ)
• Vietnamese: điểm ảnh
• Walloon: picsel

Verb

pixel (third-person singular simple present pixels, present participle pixeling or pixelling, simple past and past participle pixeled or pixelled)

1. To create computer graphics by editing individual pixels.
   • 2006, NFGMan, Character Design for Mobile Devices (page 110)

     Whether he's pixeling for cellphones or PCs, here is one artist who has a unique and imaginative vision.

See also

• triangle

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2022), “pixel”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Further reading

• pixel on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• plexi

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English pixel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɪk.səl/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pi‧xel

Noun

pixel m (plural pixels, diminutive pixeltje n)

1. pixel

   Synonym: beeldpunt

Derived terms

• megapixel
• pixelig

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from English pixel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pik.sɛl/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

pixel m (plural pixels)

1. (computing) pixel

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Hungarian

Etymology

Borrowed from English pixel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpiksɛl]
• Hyphenation: pi‧xel
• Rhymes: -ɛl

Noun

pixel (plural pixelek)

1. (computing) pixel (one of the tiny dots that make up the representation of an image in a computer's memory)

Declension

Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	pixel	pixelek
accusative	pixelt	pixeleket
dative	pixelnek	pixeleknek
instrumental	pixellel	pixelekkel
causal-final	pixelért	pixelekért
translative	pixellé	pixelekké
terminative	pixelig	pixelekig
essive-formal	pixelként	pixelekként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	pixelben	pixelekben
superessive	pixelen	pixeleken
adessive	pixelnél	pixeleknél
illative	pixelbe	pixelekbe
sublative	pixelre	pixelekre
allative	pixelhez	pixelekhez
elative	pixelből	pixelekből
delative	pixelről	pixelekről
ablative	pixeltől	pixelektől
non-attributive possessive - singular	pixelé	pixeleké
non-attributive possessive - plural	pixeléi	pixelekéi

Possessive forms of pixel
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	pixelem	pixeljeim
2nd person sing.	pixeled	pixeljeid
3rd person sing.	pixelje	pixeljei
1st person plural	pixelünk	pixeljeink
2nd person plural	pixeletek	pixeljeitek
3rd person plural	pixeljük	pixeljeik

Derived terms

• megapixel

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from English pixel, abbreviation of "picture element".

Noun

pixel m (definite singular pixelen, indefinite plural pixeler or pixler, definite plural pixelene or pixlene)

1. (computing) alternative form of piksel

Usage notes

The plural forms pixler and pixlene are not listed officially, but are in common use, and also occur in Danish (as pixler and pixlerne).

References

• “pixel” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Portuguese

Alternative forms

• píxel (Portuguese adaptation)

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English pixel

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Brazil) /ˈpik.sew/, [ˈpik.seʊ̯]

• IPA^(key): (Portugal) /ˈpikˌsɛl/, [ˈpikˌsɛɫ]

Noun

pixel m (plural pixels or pixeis (proscribed))

1. (computing) pixel (one of the dots that make up an image)

   Synonym: ponto

Usage notes

The prescribed adaptation of the unadapted borrowing pixel is píxel, rendering the plural píxeis. Thus, the prescribed plural of pixel is the English plural pixels instead of pixeis, since the later does not correspond to the pronunciation of the word as a paroxytone.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:pixel.

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpiɡsel/, [ˈpiɣ̞.sel]

Noun

pixel m (plural pixeles)

1. Alternative spelling of píxel