LCD

¹ American  

abbreviation

1. liquid crystal display: a method of displaying readings continuously, as on digital watches, portable computers, and calculators, using a liquid crystal film, sealed between glass plates, that changes its optical properties when a voltage is applied.

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L.C.D. ² American  

Or l.c.d.

abbreviation

1. least common denominator; lowest common denominator.

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lcd ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. lowest common denominator

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LCD ² British  

abbreviation

1. liquid-crystal display

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LCD Scientific  

/ ēl′sē-dē′ /

1. Short for liquid-crystal display. A low-power, flat-panel display used in many digital devices to display numbers or images. It is made of a liquid containing crystals that are affected by electric current, sandwiched between filtering layers of glass or plastic. LCDs do not produce light of their own; instead, when electric current is passed through the material, the molecules of the “liquid crystal” twist so that they either reflect or transmit light from an external source.

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Etymology

Origin of LCD

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

The early word from Mr. Styles is that the record was inspired in part by the music of LCD Soundsystem.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

LCD Soundsystem is an obvious reference, but there are elements of 1980s experimentalists like Tom Tom Club, Art of Noise and even Gang Of Four in the mix.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

The firm’s general-purpose humanoid, called AlphaBot, is currently used in factories including LCD television panel maker HKC.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

It’s synthpop swells and arpeggios feel like a pure-white LCD sunrise over a William Gibson landscape.

From Salon • Nov. 7, 2025

Turns out the "L" in "LCD" stands for "Liquid."

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir