Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lithography

/lɪθˈɒɡɹəfi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.71 in modern English

Syllables
lithog-ra-phy
IPA
/lɪθˈɒɡɹəfi/
23
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The process of printing an image by drawing the image with a water-repellent material onto a hard, flat surface (typically metal), then copying the surface by applying water and ink (or the equivalent) to it and pressing another material against it.

Countable; Uncountable

Etymology

From German Lithographie, from λίθος (líthos, “stone”) + γράφειν (gráphein, “to write”). Originally the printing surface was a flat piece of limestone that was treated with grease to form a surface that would selectively transfer ink to the paper; the stone has now been replaced, in general, with a metal plate. By surface analysis, litho- + -graphy.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: Lithographie

Usage

Inflected Forms

lithographies (plural)

Derived Forms

autolithography chromolithography lithograph lithographer lithographist microlithography nanolithography photolithography stereolithography

Phrases

offset lithography soft lithography

Rhymes With

photography geography biography bibliography pornography autobiography choreography topography cinematography typography chromatography iconography

Questions

How do you pronounce lithography?
The recorded pronunciation is /lɪθˈɒɡɹəfi/.
What does lithography mean?
The process of printing an image by drawing the image with a water-repellent material onto a hard, flat surface (typically metal), then copying the surface by applying water and ink (or the equivalent) to it and pressing another material against it.
Where does lithography come from?
It is traced to German.

How to pronounce lithography

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lithography”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/lɪθˈɒɡɹəfi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lithography”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “lithography” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.