aliasing

noun

ali·​as·​ing ˈā-lē-ə-siŋ 

ˈāl-yə-

: an error or distortion created in a digital image that usually appears as a jagged outline

We commonly observe aliasing on television. This occurs when there is an insufficient magnification produced by the lens of a TV camera focused on periodic structures such as the pattern of pinstripes in an announcer's shirt, bricks in the wall of a house, or seats in an empty stadium.

—Douglas B. Murphy, Fundamentals of Light Microscopy and Electronic Imaging, 2001

Word History

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

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