gray-scale
UK[ˈɡreɪ skeɪl]US[ˈɡreɪ skeɪl]
adj
Relating to or using a range of shades of gray without other colors.
n
A range of shades of gray from white to black, used in monochromatic displays or images.
Morpheme Breakdown
gray
scale
gray
scale
Etymology
The term "gray-scale" is a modern technical compound formed in English. The first element, "gray," descends from the Old English word for the achromatic color, a concept with ancient Germanic roots. The second element, "scale," originates from the Latin scala, meaning "ladder," which evolved to denote any graduated system of measurement or sequence. Combined in the mid-20th century with the advent of television and digital imaging, the term logically constructs the concept of a "ladder or range of gray shades," moving from white to black, to describe monochromatic image data.
Analysis
Structure: gray + scale
- gray: From Old English grǣg, of Germanic origin. In this compound, it functions as the color descriptor.
- scale: From Latin scala (ladder, staircase), via Old French escale. In this compound, it functions as a noun meaning a graduated series or range.
Examples
The old photograph was reproduced in gray-scale.
The monitor can display millions of colors, but the diagnostic image is set to gray-scale for better clarity.
Converting a color image to gray-scale reduces its file size.