I. ˈgrafik, -fēk adjective
also graph·i·cal -fə̇kəl, -fēk-
Etymology: graphic from Latin graphicus, from Greek graphikos, from graphein to write + -ikos -ic; graphical from Latin graphic us + English -al
1. : written, drawn, or engraved
reproduction of the letters in graphic form — F.W.Goudy
did not multiply with graphic symbols as we do — E.O.Winzerling
2.
a.
(1) : marked by clear and lively description or striking imaginative power
its most graphic and beautiful stanzas — J.L.Lowes
(2) : having the gift of clear and lively description
a graphic writer
b. : sharply outlined or delineated
plush buildings … which I saw as a graphic contrast to the slums — Ben Burns
3.
a. : of or relating to the pictorial arts : pictorial or symbolic rather than verbal
the natural distinction between literary and graphic art — Bliss Perry
b. : of, relating to, or involving such reproductive methods as those of engraving, etching, lithography, photography, serigraphy, and woodcut
the etchings, drypoints, lithographs and engravings which together form his graphic work — British Book News
c. : of or relating to the art of printing or the techniques associated with book production and communication by the printed word
books considered as graphic rather than literary products — Publishers' Weekly
4. : of, relating to, or used for writing
the graphic system of the Maya
5. : having mineral crystals resembling written or printed characters : exhibiting on the surface or in transverse section the appearance of such characters : having or displaying a rock fabric in which two minerals enclose each other by mutual intercrystallization
6. : of, relating to, or represented by graphs, diagrams, lines, or similar means : diagrammatic
chart a trend in graphic fashion — L.W.Hall
7. : of or relating to the written or printed word or the symbols or devices used in writing or printing to represent sound or convey meaning
• graph·i·cal·ly -fə̇k(ə)lē, -fēk-, -li adverb
• graph·ic·ness -fiknə̇s, -fēk- noun -es
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : a product of graphic art (as a painting, watercolor, print)
the graphics … include Chagall's original illustrations — Howard Devree
b. graphics plural : the graphic media
graphics and photography, the multiple arts; film, stage, and dance, the theatrical arts — Museum of Modern Art Bulletin
2.
a. : a picture, map, or graph used for illustration or demonstration
these graphics embody widely accepted principles of visual education
today, more and more, graphics are being used in company reports — Journal of Accountancy
b. graphics plural but singular in construction : the art or science of representing a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional surface according to mathematical rules of projection
III. noun
1. : a graphic representation displayed by a computer (as on a cathode-ray tube)
2. graphics plural but singular or plural in construction : the process whereby a computer displays graphics and an operator can manipulate them (as with a light pen)