lithophane

[ lith-uh-feyn ]

noun

1. a transparency made of thin porcelain or bone china having an intaglio design.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lithophane¹

First recorded in 1945–50; litho- + -phane ( def )

Example Sentences

A group of researchers has developed a solution: 3D print a lithophane, a thin plastic sheet that displays visual data in the form of bumps and other surface features.

From Science Magazine

For a stained protein or nucleic acid gel, a lithophane can represent the intensities of the stain as variations in relief. 3D printers have become widely available, and the printing only takes minutes.

From Science Magazine

If I can get a lithophane system, then they can just print out their data for me and we can be talking about the same piece of information at the same time.

From Science Magazine

But if she knows what diagrams she’s going to do before a presentation and prints a lithophane, problem solved.

From Science Magazine

So for like a week I thought we had invented the lithophane.

From Science Magazine