Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The nail of the thumb.
- noun Computers An image of a graphic or document that is reduced in size so that it serves as an icon of a larger image or to allow multiple images to be viewed on a screen simultaneously or to be transmitted more rapidly.
- adjective Of, relating to, or of the size of a thumbnail.
- adjective Brief; cursory.
- transitive verb To generate a reduced size image of (a graphic or document).
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
fingernail on thethumb . - noun A rough sketch (e.g., the size of one's thumbnail).
- noun A small
picture , used as a compact representation of a larger image. - verb transitive To
describe concisely .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the nail of the thumb
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word thumbnail.
Examples
-
The new update optimises thumbnails — instead of irregular rectangles each thumbnail is a centre-cropped square for maximum thumbnails per page — enlarges images on a distraction free black background with auto-fading buttons, and supports a finger-friendlier interface that emphasises touch and swipe versus the tap-based interface of the old Google Images Search.
Google Image Search Updates For Easier Phone-Based Browsing | Lifehacker Australia 2010
-
The second thumbnail from the bottom right is the CTA Bus Tracker that allows me to track mass transit in Chicago, specificly, my bus, just by hitting the refresh button.
The Full-Screen Firefox Cloud Desktop | Lifehacker Australia 2009
-
I find it easier to script if I draw everything out in thumbnail form first; the graphics hold together the flow of the story.
-
Worse, the color of the bar below a thumbnail is meaningless -- it is pulled from one of the colors used for the Web site's favicon and, otherwise, does not appear to convey any important technical information.
6 things we like about Internet Explorer 9 beta (and six not so much) Howard Wen 2010
-
This will display the file size, for images, the dimensions, and for folders, the number of items inside below each in thumbnail view.
Tweak Your Way To A Better Finder | Lifehacker Australia 2009
-
The images are available in thumbnail or high-resolution versions with significant metadata.
Archive 2008-04-01 2008
-
I really like the one with door and maze shaped as a skull. web thumbnail is my favorite giantyoda
Cool Stuff: The Shining - Posters and Tribute Artwork | /Film 2008
-
After searching using any of the five methods, the result will be displayed in thumbnail format.
Archive 2008-03-01 2008
-
Like many events sketched repeatedly in thumbnail fashion, the witch trials have become a caricature, a short-hand reference for fanaticism and the darker passages of America's colonial history.
The Heretic's Daughter: Summary and book reviews of The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent. 2008
-
This allows me to see the best photos first, in thumbnail view so I can review them quickly.
Ask Leo: Live Q&A For Bloggers and Writers | Write to Done 2008
mollusque commented on the word thumbnail
He scratched a match on his thumbnail and watched it burn and tried to blow it out with a long steady breath that just bent the flame over.
--Raymond Chandler, 1943, The Lady in the Lake, chapter 35
September 4, 2009
mollusque commented on the word thumbnail
There were unnoticeable places where the paint had run down those hard rods, that had never quite got dry, and when George went away on a case or was late coming home she would lie there indenting these little rivers of paint with her thumbnail very gently, to kill time, the way she would once hold rose petals on her tongue and gently bite them, waiting here in the store, the days when he courted.
--Eudora Welty, 1946, Delta Wedding
December 24, 2010