daguerreotype

noun

da·​guerre·​o·​type də-ˈger-ō-ˌtīp How to pronounce daguerreotype (audio)
-ˈger-ə-;
-ˈge-rō-,
-rə-,
 also  də-ˈger-ē-ō-ˌtīp,
-ˈger-ē-
: an early photograph produced on a silver or a silver-covered copper plate
also : the process of producing such photographs
daguerreotype transitive verb
daguerreotypist
də-ˈger-ō-ˌtī-pist How to pronounce daguerreotype (audio)
-ˈger-ə-;
-ˈge-rō-
-rə-
 also  də-ˈger-ē-ō-ˌtī-
-ˈger-ē-
noun
daguerreotypy
də-ˈger-ō-ˌtī-pē How to pronounce daguerreotype (audio)
-ˈger-ə-;
-ˈge-rō-
-rə-
 also  də-ˈger-ē-ō-ˌtī-
-ˈger-ē-
noun

Examples of daguerreotype in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The book details the way daguerreotypes, lithographs, cartes de visite and steam printing presses enabled artists to advocate for social reform, including the Abolitionist movement. Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 21 June 2025 The Portrait Gallery features daguerreotypes of U.S. Senators Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun, as well as a lithograph of the latter. Kaila Philo, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2025 The daguerreotype portraits, which are 175 years old, were identified by Tamara Lanier as her great-great-great-grandfather and his child. Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 29 May 2025 Still, daguerreotypes caught on in the United States in the 1840s, and portrait studios seemed to be everywhere. James Barron, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for daguerreotype

Word History

Etymology

French daguerréotype, from L. J. M. Daguerre + French -o- + type

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of daguerreotype was in 1839

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Cite this Entry

“Daguerreotype.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/daguerreotype. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

daguerreotype

noun
da·​guerre·​o·​type də-ˈger-(ē-)ō-ˌtīp How to pronounce daguerreotype (audio)
: an early photograph produced on a metal plate
Etymology

named for L. J. M. Daguerre 1789–1851 French painter and inventor

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