Added 9 October 2026
pixel
/ˈpɪk.səl/ noun
First recorded: 1965 Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pixel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- One of the tiny dots that make up the representation of an image in a computer's memory.
- One of the squares that make up a work of pixel art or a zoomed-in image in a computer.
- A unit of measure used in screen displays, resolutions, and similar visual media that represents either linear measure or area.
verb
- To create computer graphics by editing individual pixels.
Origin
pix (“pictures”), + el(ement); often taken to be a blend of “picture” and “element”. The ⟨x⟩ stems from the abbreviation pics being sometimes also written as pix, which has been in use since the 1880s. First attested in 1965.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)