xerography

noun

xe·​rog·​ra·​phy zə-ˈrä-grə-fē 

1

: a process for copying graphic matter by the action of light on an electrically charged photoconductive insulating surface in which the latent image is developed with a resinous powder (such as toner)

2

: xeroradiography

xerographic

ˌzir-ə-ˈgra-fik 

adjective

xerographically

ˌzir-ə-ˈgra-fi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of xerography in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Not just the first-ever series based on characters from Marvel, its cartoons were created by xerography — meaning images were photocopied from the comic books themselves and manipulated to appear fully animated. —Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 6 Sep. 2024

The Xerox copier's core technology -— a process called xerography, invented by Chester Carlson — is still widely used in copy machines five decades later. —David Goldman, CNN, 23 Jan. 2020

Word History

Etymology

xero- + -graphy

Note: The principles behind xerography were first lit upon by the American patent lawyer and inventor Chester Carlson (1906-68). Elaboration of his concept and the production of a practical copy machine were the work of the Battelle Memorial Institute, a non-profit technology development firm in Columbus, Ohio, and the Haloid Company, a manufacturer of photographic paper, in Rochester, New York (renamed Haloid Xerox in 1958, and the Xerox Corporation in 1961). The coinage of the word xerography is described by David Owen in his book Copies in Seconds: …Chester Carlson and the Birth of the Xerox Machine (New York, 2004), p. 145 ("Wilson" in the following was Joseph C. Wilson, president of Haloid, and "Linowitz" Sol M. Linowitz, a patent lawyer and later chairman of the board of Xerox): "By 1948, Wilson realized that the company was going to have to make a public announcement of some kind, both to establish its claim on the idea and to satisfy its legal obligation not to withhold material information from its shareholders …One of the first tasks was to find a more publicity-friendly name than 'electrophotography,' a word that was awkward to say and that made the idea sound like nothing more than a (possibly Kodak-related) refinement of an existing imaging process. Haloid employees suggested 'Kleen Kopy,' 'Dry Duplicator,' and 'Magic Printer,' among many others. The solution came from a public relations employee at Battelle, who described Carlson's invention to a classics professor at Ohio State University and asked for ideas. The professor suggested 'xerography'—from the Greek word xeros (meaning 'dry') and graphein (meaning "writing"). Carlson didn't like the name—'I think the original name [his own coinage, electrophotography] is more technically accurate and fits better in technical parlance,' he said later—but Wilson did like it, and Haloid's board adopted it. The company's patent department (which at that point would have been mainly Carlson and Linowitz) wanted to trademark 'xerography,' but John Hartnett, the head of sales and advertising, said, 'Don't do that. We want people to use the word.'" The trademark name Xerox was conceived sometime after this by Wilson and Linowitz, who modeled it on short, near-palindromic names such as Kodak.

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for xerography

• arthrography
• biography
• cartography
• cosmography
• cryptography
• demography
• discography
• echography
• ethnography
• filmography
• geography
• hydrography

Kids Definition

xerography

noun

xe·​rog·​ra·​phy zə-ˈräg-rə-fē 

zir-ˈäg-

: a process for copying printed material by the action of light on an electrically charged surface in which the image is developed with a powder

xerographic

ˌzir-ə-ˈgraf-ik 

adjective

Medical Definition

xerography

noun

xe·​rog·​ra·​phy zə-ˈräg-rə-fē, zir-ˈäg- 

plural xerographies

1

: a process for copying graphic matter by the action of light on an electrically charged photoconductive insulating surface in which the latent image is developed with a resinous powder

2

: xeroradiography

xerographic

ˌzir-ə-ˈgraf-ik 

adjective

xerographically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb