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hologram

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Etymology and origin of the English word hologram

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1949 Dennis Gabor, Proceedings of the Royal Society
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek ὅλος,γράμμα

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈhɒləɡɹæm/[1]
  • US: /ˈhɑləˌɡɹæm/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English holo- + -gram,[2][3][4][5] from Ancient Greek ὅλος (hólos, “whole”), used here in the sense "three-dimensional",[6][7] and γράμμα (grámma, “that which is written or drawn”).[1] Etymonline traces the Greek adjective to Proto-Indo-European *sol- (“whole, well-kept”).[6] The word was coined by the Hungarian-born British scientist Dennis Gabor (Gábor Dénes),[6][1] who received the 1971 Nobel Prize in physics for his work in holography.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A pattern recorded when light from an object interferes with a coherent beam, from which a three-dimensional image can be produced: 1949, in Gabor's paper in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.[2] Barnhart and Merriam-Webster also date it to 1949,[7][4] while Wiktionary places the coinage in 1948.[1]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept the meaning Gabor gave it: the interference pattern itself, or a photograph of it, which shows the object in depth when lit again.[2][3] Collins and Barnhart describe the light as coming from a laser, and Merriam-Webster stresses that no camera is used.[8][7][4] The name of the technique, holography, was formed from hologram in 1964, on the analogy of pairs such as telegram and telegraphy.[7][9] The OED also records hologram as a transitive verb from 1983.[2]

Timeline

  • 1949 – an interference pattern that yields a three-dimensional image, in Gabor's paper.[2][7][4]
  • 1964 – holography, the technique.[7][9]
  • 1983 – verb, transitive.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A three-dimensional image recorded on a photographic plate or film as an interference pattern of coherent light, usually from a laser, without a lens or camera, and seen in depth when lit again: A small hologram on the banknote makes it hard to copy.[8][4][2][3]
  • holograph
  • holography
  • holo-
  • -gram

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  9. ^ a b Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Hologram.” Etymologically, 2 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/hologram. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·