lithography

Etymology

1813. From German Lithographie, from Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos, “stone”) + γράφειν (gráphein, “to write”).

Noun

lithography (countable and uncountable, plural lithographies)

1. The process of printing a lithograph on a hard, flat surface; originally the printing surface was a flat piece of stone that was etched with acid to form a surface that would selectively transfer ink to the paper; the stone has now been replaced, in general, with a metal plate.