pixel

Etymology

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.

noun

1. One of the tiny dots that make up the representation of an image in a computer's memory.
   We have chosen to sample at a 500 KC rate and we define each one of these samples as a picture element or pixel. We have sampled each pixel with 6-bit accuracy which is commensurate with the signal/noise ratio and the data accuracy. 1965 April, Fred C. Billingsley, “Digital Video Processing at JPL”, in Eugene B. Turner, editor, Electronic Imaging Techniques I, Proceedings of SPIE, volume 3, Los Angeles
   In the tomographic images of the 30-day-old cheeses, the gantry had to be removed with image processing techniques: first, the binarised image (grey level larger than 10⁴) was eroded with a disk of three pixels. August 2015, Dominik Guggisberg et al., “Mechanism and control of the eye formation in cheese”, in International Dairy Journal, volume 47, Elsevier, →DOI, pages 118–127
2. One of the squares that make up a pixel art work or a zoomed in image in a computer.

verb

1. To create computer graphics by editing individual pixels.
   Whether he's pixeling for cellphones or PCs, here is one artist who has a unique and imaginative vision. 2006, NFGMan, Character Design for Mobile Devices, page 110