daguerreotype

1 of 2

noun (1)

da·​guerre·​o·​type də-ˈger-ō-ˌtīp 

-ˈger-ə-;

-ˈge-rō-, 

-rə-

also də-ˈger-ē-ō-ˌtīp, 

-ˈger-ē-

: an early photograph produced on a silver or a silver-covered copper plate

also : the process of producing such photographs

daguerreotype transitive verb

daguerreotypist

də-ˈger-ō-ˌtī-pist 

-ˈger-ə-;

-ˈge-rō-, 

-rə-

also də-ˈger-ē-ō-ˌtī-, 

-ˈger-ē-

noun

daguerreotypy

də-ˈger-ō-ˌtī-pē 

-ˈger-ə-;

-ˈge-rō-, 

-rə-

also də-ˈger-ē-ō-ˌtī-, 

-ˈger-ē-

noun

daguerreotyper

2 of 2

noun (2)

da·​guerre·​o·​typ·​er də-ˈger-ō-ˌtī-pər 

-ˈger-ə-, 

-ˈge-rō-, 

-ˈge-rə- also -ˈger-ē-ō-, 

-ˈger-ē-ə, 

-ˈge-rē-

variants or daguerreotypist

də-ˈger-ō-ˌtī-pəst 

-ˈger-ə-, 

-ˈge-rō-, 

-ˈge-rə- also -ˈger-ē-ō-, 

-ˈger-ē-ə, 

-ˈge-rē-

: one that makes daguerreotypes

Examples of daguerreotype in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Nadar deployed Balzac’s reported initial mistrust and later acquiescence to the daguerreotype as an allegory of larger significance for understanding the history of invention. —Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026

First observed on Aug 19, 1991, the day commemorates the invention of the daguerreotype, a photographic process developed in 1837. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 July 2025

And the massive collection of photographic plates the Harvard Computers used in their work began with a July 17, 1850 daguerreotype of the star Vega. —Kiona N. Smith, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025

Developing a daguerreotype is an involved process, notes Ann Shumard, senior curator of photographs at the National Portrait Gallery. —Kaila Philo, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French daguerréotype, from L. J. M. Daguerre + French -o- + type

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1839, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for daguerreotype

• electrotype
• idiotype
• karyotype
• stereotype
• allotype
• antitype
• archetype
• biotype
• collotype
• genotype
• haplotype
• holotype

Kids Definition

daguerreotype

noun

da·​guerre·​o·​type də-ˈger-(ē-)ō-ˌtīp 

: an early photograph produced on a metal plate

Etymology

Noun

named for L. J. M. Daguerre 1789–1851 French painter and inventor