Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A type of spotlight, used in photography, that illuminates a subject from behind.
  • noun A light that amplifies the brightness of an LCD screen by illuminating it from behind.
  • transitive verb To light from behind.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A spotlight that illuminates a photographic subject from behind.
  • noun A light attached to an LCD display.
  • noun The rear window of a motor car.
  • verb To illuminate something from behind.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From back + light

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Examples

  • The lack of a backlight is a huge disadvantage, IMO, but what can you do but wait for Kindle 3.

    Kindle 2: Now Are You Ready to Take the eBook Plunge? 2009

  • Machine goes off, comes back, they reseated the video cable (which I had already done) and out of the box it fails … and has a new problem where the backlight is now permanently on.

    Dell hell: by the numbers « BuzzMachine 2005

  • Everything is working fine apart from the 'backlight' - i.e. I can still see the screen (and operate it fully) BUT only if I get it in the light.

    4WinMobile.com 2008

  • In dim lighting, the iPad backlight is a tremendous advantage, but in direct sunlight, the Kindle turns the tables; the brighter the ambient light, the better its screen looks, while the iPad’s LCD washes out.

    Kindle on iPad vs. Kindle on Kindle « Steve Wildstrom on Tech 2010

  • Traditional sunlight-readable products rely on either a power-consuming bright backlight, which is unsuitable for portable applications, or cost-prohibitive transflective technology.

    Electronicstalk - electronics industry news 2010

  • The backlight is the main power consumer in an LCD, and that won't change at all with yellow pixels.

    The Tech Report: News 2010

  • Adam also has a battery life of 160 hours without backlight, which is made possible by the combination of its PixelQi screen and Tegra chip.

    Analysis 2010

  • The XO tablet may include new display technology from Pixel Qi, which makes screens that absorb ambient light to brighten screens and save power by reducing the need for the backlight, which is used to light up conventional screens.

    ARN Daily 2010

  • The lack of a backlight was a concern for me as I have problems with low light vision

    The Gadgeteer 2009

  • (There is also an LCD display backlight, which is controlled by the settings interface and not the SMI LED API.)

    MoDaCo WinMo News 2009

Comments

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  • Rear window glass of a car; what most people call the rear window (from Wikipedia).

    August 25, 2007