dither
UK /ˈdɪðə/ · US /ˈdɪðɚ/ verb, noun
Forms dithers dithering dithered
- verb (literally) To tremble, shake, or shiver.
- verb (figurative) To be uncertain or unable to make a decision; to vacillate, hesitate, or delay.
- verb To do something nervously.
- verb (computer graphics) To use dot patterns in an image or graphic to simulate colors or shades not in the system palette.
- verb To intentionally add noise to a signal to remove artifacts caused by digitization.
- noun Trembling, shaking, or shivering.
- noun A state of nervous excitement.
- noun The state of being undecided; indecision; vacillation.
- noun A form of noise intentionally added to remove artifacts caused by digitization.
- noun (computer graphics) The use of dot patterns in an image or graphic to approximate colors not available in the system palette.
Synonyms
Etymology
Variant of didder, from Middle English dideren (“to tremble”). Compare Middle English bididren, bididdren (“to seduce, deceive”), from Old English bedidrian, bedyderian (“to deceive, trick”).
Alternatively, perhaps with expressive voicing from *titeren, from Proto-Germanic *titrōną. If so, then a doublet of teeter and cognate with Old High German zittarōn (German zittern) and Old Norse titra (Faroese titra, Icelandic titra). Alternatively an unrelated reduplicative onomatopoeia.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “dither”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details