Meaning & use
lithograph
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
A picture or print made by pressing paper onto a specially prepared flat stone or metal plate that has a design drawn on it with a greasy crayon or ink.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a lithograph, two lithographs, etc.
Patterns
- a lithograph of something
- a lithograph by someone
- produce a lithograph
The museum owns several lithographs by the French artist.
He bought a lithograph of a city scene at the gallery.
This lithograph was made from a stone plate drawn on by the artist.
verbtransitivetechnical
To make a picture or print using the lithographic method.
Grammar: Takes an object: lithograph a poster.
Patterns
- lithograph something
- lithograph a poster
The studio lithographed the poster in five colors.
She learned to lithograph her own designs on limestone.
Word forms
| plural | lithographs |
|---|---|
| third person singular | lithographs |
| past tense | lithographed |
| past participle | lithographed |
| -ing form | lithographing |
Common combinations
- original lithograph
- The auction featured an original lithograph signed by the artist.
- color lithograph
- The book includes a color lithograph of the harbor.
- lithograph by
- We saw a lithograph by M.C. Escher at the exhibition.
- lithograph of
- She hung a lithograph of a mountain landscape above the sofa.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Print is a general word for any picture made by pressing ink onto paper; a lithograph is a specific type of print made from a flat stone or plate.
- etching
- An etching is made by cutting lines into a metal plate with acid; a lithograph is made from a flat surface with a greasy drawing.
- engraving
- An engraving is cut into a hard surface with a tool; a lithograph uses a chemical process on a flat stone.
Word family
- lithography noun
- The method or process of making prints from a flat stone or metal plate.
- lithographic adjective
- Relating to lithography, as in lithographic printing.
Commonly confused: lithograph or lithosphere? lithograph or monograph?
lithograph vs lithosphere
Lithosphere is the outer rocky layer of the Earth; a lithograph is a printed picture.
lithograph vs monograph
A monograph is a detailed book on one subject; a lithograph is a type of print.
Practice
What is a lithograph?
Choose one answer.
A lithograph is a print made using a flat stone or plate and a greasy drawing. It is not a handwritten letter, a photograph, or a cutting machine.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lithograph”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.