raster

noun

ras·​ter ˈra-stər How to pronounce raster (audio)
: a scan pattern (as of the electron beam in a cathode-ray tube) in which an area is scanned from side to side in lines from top to bottom
also : a pattern of closely spaced rows of dots that form an image (as on the cathode-ray tube of a television or computer display)

Examples of raster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Potential areas of interest for the CMA include all-in-one product design software, vector editing software, and raster editing software. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 28 Nov. 2023 Finally, Chrome has been modified to ignore unnecessary style, layout, paint, raster, and GPU steps on websites, with a similar update also implemented to the Chrome UI. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 28 Feb. 2023 Unlike raster displays, which assemble an image from sprites laid out on lines of horizontal pixels, vector displays bend an electron beam into discrete lines or curves that make up simple geometric shapes on the glowing phosphor. Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2022 Exhibited at a small gallery in Germany, Paik's Zen for TV reduced the image on the screen to a single raster line. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 28 May 2021 From mobile to desktop, vector map to raster, your stakeholders need a consistent map. Khaled Naim, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2021 Essentially, in rasterization, the camera represents a raster pixel grid (hence, rasterization). Peter Bright, Ars Technica, 20 Aug. 2018 The app also lets artists draw with vector and raster brushes, combining the features of the Adobe Illustrator Draw and Photoshop Sketch iPad apps. Dami Lee, The Verge, 17 June 2019 In a raster scan, the image is built up sequentially from top left to bottom right. Chris Lee, Ars Technica, 4 Sep. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'raster.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Raster, originally, "screen used for printing halftones," borrowed from Latin *rāster (presumed singular of rāstrī), rāstrum "hoe with two to six tines," from rādere "to scrape, scratch, pare away, shave" + -trum, suffix of instruments (going back to Indo-European *-tro-) — more at rase

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of raster was in 1934

Dictionary Entries Near raster

Cite this Entry

“Raster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raster. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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