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PlainSpell

vectorize

/ˈvɛktəɹaɪz/verb

vectorize is a verb meaning “To convert an image into a vector graphics format” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled V-E-C-T-O-R-I-Z-E, and it appears about once in every 68 million words in written English (wordfreq, 2021 data).

What does vectorize mean?

verb

  1. 1

    To convert an image into a vector graphics format.

  2. 2

    To convert a program that operates on scalar values into the equivalent program operating on vectors, usually as an optimization step inside the compiler (automatic vectorization).

  3. 3

    To lead selectively a drug to a target.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you pronounce vectorize?

  • /ˈvɛktəɹaɪz/

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-vectorize.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of vectorize

  • vectorizes present, singular, he/she/it
  • vectorizing participle, present
  • vectorized participle, past
  • vectorise

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How common is vectorize?

Vectorize appears about once in every 68 million words in written English, the 258,950th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

Vectorize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

In the sense to convert an image into a vector graphics format:

LanguageWords
Frenchvectoriser
Germanvektorisieren
Portugueserastrear, vetorizar
Spanishvectorizar

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does vectorize come from?

From vector + -ize.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).