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digitize

DIH-jih-tyze /ˈdɪdʒ.ɪ.taɪz/

verbB2TOEFLIELTS

generalprofessional

To convert physical documents, images, or sound recordings into a digital format that can be processed by a computer.

Digitizing is not just taking a photo; in archival science, it involves high-fidelity scanning and creating metadata so the file can be searched and preserved.

The story behind the word. Because ancient humans counted on their fingers, the Latin word 'digitus' (finger) became the word for numbers under ten. When modern computers were invented using binary numbers (0 and 1), they were called 'digital' systems, leading to the verb 'digitize' for turning physical things into numbers.

Word relationships

scan: Scan is the physical action of capturing an image, while digitize refers to the entire process of converting, formatting, and storing that image as digital data.
computerize: Computerize means to equip a system or process with computers, whereas digitize specifically means converting physical media into digital files.

print: Print means to convert digital or mental text into physical form on paper, which is the opposite of digitizing.

Commonly confused with

digitalize: Digitalize refers to adopting digital technology across an entire business or process, while digitize is the specific act of converting physical data into digital form.

Word family

digitization (noun): The process of converting physical information into digital format.
digital (adjective): Expressed as series of the digits 0 and 1, typically represented by values of a physical quantity.

Collocations

digitize records
fully digitize
digitize historical archives

Example sentences

"The library received a grant to digitize its collection of nineteenth-century photographs, making them accessible online." A library's modernization plan.

Memory hook

Think of using your 'digits' (fingers) to tap on a computer screen. You are turning paper into something you can touch on a screen. Digitize turns paper into digits on a screen.

When not to use

Do not use digitize when you are simply typing a document on a computer; it specifically refers to converting an existing physical object into a digital one.

Fun facts

The British Library has digitized millions of pages of historic newspapers, allowing users to search for keywords across three centuries of print in seconds.