Glossary: Liquid crystal display

A display technology common in portable computers that uses electric current to align crystals in a special liquid. The rod-shaped crystals are contained between two parallel transparent electrodes, and when current is applied, they change their orientation, creating a darker area. Many LCD screens are also back-lit or side-lit to increase visibility and reduce the possibility of eyestrain. A display having conductive segments or dots deposited on the inside surfaces of two transparent glass plates separated by a crystal in liquid form. When energized with AC voltage in the presence of light, the selected segments will provide a black-tone or grey readout.

Technically, a thin electro-optical device used as the display technology. A liquid crystal display may be designed to be viewed by reflected or transmitted light. A display device that creates characters by means of the action of electrical signals on a matrix of liquid cells that become opaque when energized.