Cinemagraph
/ˈsɪn.ə.mə.ɡræf/noun
A still photograph in which a minor and repeated movement occurs, forming a subtle looping animation.
Did you know?Cinemagraph is a modern coined term blending cinema with a Greek root meaning “writing” or “record,” so it literally frames motion as something captured and inscribed.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
γράφειν (graphein)
“to write, draw, or record”
19th Century
French
cinématographe
“a motion-picture camera and projector”
Late 19th Century
Greek
κίνημα (kīnēma)
“movement, motion”
20th Century
English
cinema
“motion pictures; the art or industry of film”
21st Century
English
cinemagraph
“a still image with a small, repeated moving element”