Etymologically
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This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 21:53. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈskriːn.ʃɒt/[1]
  • US: /ˈskriːn.ʃɑt/[1]

Etymology

It was formed in English from screen and shot,[2][3] the latter in its photographic sense.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In ice hockey, usually written screen shot: a shot at goal taken while the goalkeeper's view is blocked by other players, recorded in the New York Times in 1940.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The computing sense, a picture of what is displayed on a screen, is recorded in the magazine Byte in January 1983,[2][5] and Dictionary.com dates it to 1980–85;[3] Etymonline records it by 1991.[4] At first it could mean a photograph of a screen, but it is now usually a digital image captured by the computer itself.[2] Collins also records a verb, to take a screenshot of a display.[6]

Timeline

  • 1940 – (ice hockey) a shot at goal through a screen of players.[2]
  • 1983 – (computing) an image of a screen's contents.[2][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An image of everything or part of what is shown on a computer or phone screen at a given moment: She sent me a screenshot of the error message.
  2. (ice hockey) A shot at goal taken while the goalkeeper's view is blocked by other players.

Verb

  1. To take a screenshot of a display.

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  4. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins