hologram
Americannoun
noun
Closer Look
To produce a simple hologram, a beam of coherent, monochromatic light, such as that produced by a laser, is split into two beams. One part, the object or illumination beam, is directed onto the object and reflected onto a high-resolution photographic plate. The other part, the reference beam, is beamed directly onto the photographic plate. The interference pattern of the two light beams is recorded on the plate. When the developed hologram is illuminated from behind (in the same direction as the original reference beam) by a beam of coherent light, it projects a three-dimensional image of the original object in space, shifting in perspective when viewed from different angles. Appropriately enough, the word hologram comes from the Greek words holos, “whole,” and gramma, “message.” If a hologram is cut into pieces, each piece projects the entire image, but as if viewed from a smaller subset of angles. The large amount of information contained in holograms makes them harder to forge than two-dimensional images. Many credit cards, CDs, sports memorabilia, and other items include holographic stickers as indicators of authenticity. Holography is used in many fields, including medicine, data storage, architecture, engineering, and the arts.
Etymology
Origin of hologram
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Please, step right on through. The rock is an optical illusion, a very well-crafted hologram.”
From Literature
As they reach old age, the business of burial is poised for an influx of money and new ideas, including biodegradable coffins and holograms of the deceased to display as digital memorials.
As the show begins, the holograms of the actors sit before you in almost unnervingly close proximity.
And, to me, holograms are just like Zooms today.
From Los Angeles Times
For the shocking message from Superman’s Kryptonian parents that upends his entire identity, “We used a very cutting-edge technique called ‘4D Gaussian splatting’ that allows us to record a real hologram,” says Ceretti.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
