photograph (n.)

"a picture obtained by any process of photography," 1839, coined by English polymath and photography pioneer Sir John Herschel (son of the astronomer) from photo- "light" + -graph "something written."

It won out over other suggestions, such as photogene and heliograph. Photogram (1859), based on telegram, did not catch on. Neo-Anglo-Saxonists prefer sunprint; and sun-picture (1846) was an early Englishing of the word. The verb is first found (along with photography and photographic) in a paper Herschel read before the Royal Society on March 14, 1839. Related: Photographed; photographing.

also from 1839

Entries linking to photograph

photo (n.)

1860, a colloquial shortening of photograph. The verb is by 1865, from the noun. Photo-finish, of a race that ends with two or more competitors crossing the finishing line at nearly the same time (so a photograph taken at the finish line at the moment of crossing is the only way to determine who won) is attested from 1936. Photo opportunity "arranged opportunity to take a photograph of a notable person or event" is from 1974, said to be a coinage of the Nixon Administration.

photographer (n.)

"one who makes pictures by means of photography," 1843, agent noun from photograph (v.). Photographist also is attested from 1843.

See all related words (7) >

Trends of photograph

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to Explore

picture

early 15c., pictur, pictoure, pittour, pectur, "the process or art of drawing or painting," a sense now obsolete; also "a visual or graphic representation of a person, scene, object, etc.," from Latin pictura "painting," from pictus, past participle of pingere "to make pictures,

snap

1550s, perhaps late 15c., "a quick, sudden bite or cut; an eager seizing," from snap (v.), or, if the earlier date, a noun from Dutch or Low German snappen "to snap," which are probably related to Middle Low German or Middle Dutch snavel "bill, beak," which Watkins traced to a hy

animated

At present [Edison] is working at the 'Kinetograph,' a combination of the phonograph and the instantaneous photograph as...

composite

A composite photograph (1884) is one printed from more than one negative....

mug

The sense of "portrait or photograph in police records" had emerged by 1873....

separation

Sense in printing in reference to proportionate monochrome representations of a color photograph is from 1922...

ambrotype

type of photograph on glass with lights given by silver and shades by a dark background showing through, 1855, American English...

cheesecake

also cheese-cake, mid-15c., from cheese (n.1) + cake (n.). Originally a cake or tart containing cheese, later one made with sweetened soft curds, etc. It was used figuratively for "soft, effeminate" from 18c. The modern slang meaning dates from 1933; a "Time" magazine article fro

magnification

early 15c., magnificacioun, "act or state of making larger," from Old French magnificacion and directly from Late Latin magnificationem (nominative magnificatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of magnificare "esteem greatly, extol, make much of," from magnificus "great

representation

c. 1400, representacioun, "image, likeness symbolic memorial," from Old French representacion (14c.) and directly from Latin repraesentationem (nominative repraesentatio), "a bringing before one, a showing or exhibiting," noun of action from past-participle stem of repraesentare

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updated on May 28, 2020

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Dictionary entries near photograph

photochemical

photocopier

photocopy

photo-electric

photogenic

photograph

photographer

photographic

photography

photogravure

photoinduction