dither

Meanings

1. To tremble, shake, or shiver.
2. To be uncertain or unable to make a decision; to vacillate, hesitate, or delay.
3. To do something nervously.
4. To apply an algorithm to digital data to minimize the effects of quantization:
5. To use dot patterns in an image or graphic to simulate colors or shades not in the system palette.
6. To intentionally add noise to a signal to remove artifacts caused by digitization.

1. Trembling, shaking, or shivering.
2. A state of nervous excitement.
3. The state of being undecided; indecision; vacillation.
4. Any algorithm applied to digital data to minimize the effects of quantization:
5. A form of noise intentionally added to remove artifacts caused by digitization.
6. The use of dot patterns in an image or graphic to approximate colors not available in the system palette.

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.