graphics

[graf-iks] /ˈgræf ɪks/

noun

(used with a singular verb) the art of drawing, especially as used in mathematics, engineering, etc.

(used with a plural verb) graphic arts (def 1).

(used with a plural verb) Movies, Television. the titles, credits, subtitles, announcements, etc., shown on the screen before, or as part of, a film or television program.

(used with a singular verb) the science of calculating by diagrams.

(used with a singular or plural verb) Computers. computer graphics.

adjective

Computers. pertaining to pictorial information displayed, plotted, or printed by a computer:

When you draw a picture on a graphics tablet the computer displays the same picture on the screen.

Origin

1885-90; see graphic, -ics

graphic

[graf-ik] /ˈgræf ɪk/

adjective, Also, graphical

giving a clear and effective picture; vivid:

a graphic account of an earthquake.

pertaining to the use of diagrams, graphs, mathematical curves, or the like; diagrammatic.

of, pertaining to, or expressed by writing:

graphic symbols.

written, inscribed, or drawn.

depicted in a realistic or vivid manner:

graphic sex and violence.

containing graphic descriptions:

a graphic movie.

Geology. (of a rock) having a texture formed by the intergrowth of certain minerals so as to resemble written characters.

Mathematics. pertaining to the determination of values, solution of problems, etc., by direct measurement on diagrams instead of by ordinary calculations.

of or pertaining to the graphic arts.

noun

10.

a product of the graphic arts, as a drawing or print.

11.

a computer-generated image.

Origin

1630-40; < Latin graphicus of painting or drawing < Greek graphikós able to draw or paint, equivalent to gráph(ein) to draw, write + -ikos -ic; cognate with carve

Related forms

graphically, adverb

graphicalness, graphicness, noun

nongraphic, adjective

nongraphical, adjective

nongraphically, adverb

nongraphicalness, noun

ungraphic, adjective

ungraphical, adjective

ungraphically, adverb

Synonyms

1. striking, telling; detailed. See picturesque.

Examples from the web for graphics

Here's a fresh look at efforts to bring data to life using sound, motion and graphics.
The wireless can be slow on some sites or even lock on sites with lots of fancy graphics.
The best thing about the daily charts are the ridiculous graphics behind them.
They had short bites of information and bright, colorful graphics.
It's made clear, through graphics and data, that the developing world's problems are growing exponentially.
Along those lines, pictures and graphics can represent the work of others.
We present a few examples of the stunning graphics used on the site below.
Use color, logos, and other graphics to make your job ad stand out.
To those of you trying to create graphics to explain more than four dimensions, keep at it.
The future of high-performance computing lies in graphics chips developed for the consumer video game market.

British Dictionary definitions for graphics

graphics

/ˈɡræfɪks/

noun

(functioning as sing) the process or art of drawing in accordance with mathematical principles

(functioning as sing) the study of writing systems

(functioning as pl) the drawings, photographs, etc, in the layout of a magazine or book, or in a television or film production

(functioning as pl) the information displayed on a visual display unit or on a computer printout in the form of diagrams, graphs, pictures, and symbols

graphic

/ˈɡræfɪk/

adjective

vividly or clearly described: a graphic account of the disaster

sexually explicit

of or relating to writing or other inscribed representations: graphic symbols

(maths) using, relating to, or determined by a graph: a graphic representation of the figures

of or relating to the graphic arts

(geology) having or denoting a texture formed by intergrowth of the crystals to resemble writing: graphic granite

Derived Forms

graphically, graphicly, adverb
graphicalness, graphicness, noun

Word Origin

C17: from Latin graphicus, from Greek graphikos, from graphein to write; see carve

Word Origin and History for graphics

1889, in reference to the use of diagrams, from graphic; also see -ics. Layout and typography sense attested from 1960; of computers by 1966.

graphic

adj.

"vivid," 1570s (implied in graphically), from Latin graphicus "picturesque," from Greek graphikos "of or for writing, belonging to drawing, picturesque," from graphe "writing, drawing," from graphein "to write" (see -graphy). Meaning "of or pertaining to drawing" is from 1756. Related: Graphically. Graphic design is attested by 1956. Graphic equalizer is from 1969.

graphics in Science

graphics

(grāf'ĭks)
The representation of data in a way that includes images in addition to or instead of text. Computer-aided design, typesetting, and video games, for example, involve the use of graphics.

graphics in Technology

graphics
Any kind of visible output including text, images, movies, line art and digital photographs; stored in bitmap or vector graphic form.
Most modern computers can display non-text data and most use a graphical user interface (GUI) for virtually all interaction with the user. Special hardware, typically some kind of graphics adaptor, is required to allow the computer to display graphics (as opposed to, say, printing text on a teletype) but since GUIs became ubiquitous this has become the default form of visual output. The most demanding applications for computer graphics are those where the computer actually generates moving images in real time, especially in video games.
There are many kinds of software devoted to manipulating graphical data, including image editing (e.g. Photoshop), drawing (e.g. Illustrator), user interface toolkits (e.g. X Window System), CAD, CGI.
(2009-06-24)