halftone

[ haf-tohn, hahf- ]
/ ˈhæfˌtoʊn, ˈhɑf- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR halftone ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Also called middle-tone. (in painting, drawing, graphics, photography, etc.) a value intermediate between light and dark.
Printing.
  1. a process in which gradation of tone in an image is conveyed by first photographing the image through a screen to break up the continuous tones of the image into minute, closely spaced dots, then using the print obtained to produce a metal plate by photoengraving, and finally using the plate to reproduce the original image by letterpress or offset printing.
  2. the metal plate used in such a process.
  3. the print obtained in such a process.Compare line cut.

adjective

pertaining to, using, used in, or produced by the halftone process: a halftone screen; a halftone print.

Origin of halftone

First recorded in 1645–55; half + tone

Words nearby halftone

halfmoon, halfpenny, halfpennyworth, halfsies, halftime, halftone, halfway, halfway house, halfwit, hali-, halibut

Words related to halftone

engraving, picture, photograph, etching, image, sketch, vignette, depiction, decoration, snapshot, painting, cartoon, photo, plate, adornment, figure, design, frontispiece, tailpiece

Example sentences from the Web for halftone

British Dictionary definitions for halftone

halftone
/ (ˈhɑːfˌtəʊn) /

noun

  1. a process used to reproduce an illustration by photographing it through a fine screen to break it up into dots
  2. the etched plate thus obtained
  3. the print obtained from such a plate
art a tonal value midway between highlight and dark shading
music, US and Canadian another word for semitone

adjective

relating to, used in, or made by halftone