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to flatten

to flatten

2 4.7
Change lists inside other lists into one list
  • verb
  • /ˈflætən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : desanidar
  • If you want to work on the final edits, you need to flatten the layers in your graphic design software.

Examples

  • Already, the Internet is making it easier to flatten these hierarchies and make them more efficient.

    Academic text (2002)
  • When creating a sheet metal part in SolidWorks, one of the key features is the capability to "flatten" the model into a sheet so it can be manufactured.

    Blog text (12)
  • Start with the Master: flatten it (Layer > Flatten Image).

    Academic text (2008)
  • I select objects, "flatten", N (do not delete hidden lines), and wait for the command to run.

    Blog text (31)
  • I decided to flatten the image and then run an Equalize Adjustment in order to stretch the data into a range in which I could see the differences.

    Blog text (34)
  • To analyze the data more easily, you should flatten the hierarchical structure into a single list.

  • Before exporting the document, remember to flatten the images to ensure compatibility with other formats.

Synonyms

to denormalize
vsto flatten
  • Specialized
1 8.4

To make a database less organized by adding repeated data so it is faster to get information

collapses inner hierarchical levels into a single level sequence
to unstack
vsto flatten
  • Specialized
7.2

Change data from a long table to a wide table by turning rows into columns

collapses nested levels rather than reshaping rows into columns

Antonyms

3 6.9

A set of tables or boxes that fit inside each other

Phrasal Verbs

To become flat and smooth after being uneven

How Organized

to normalize
  • US
35 4.1
to flatten
  • Specialized
2 4.7
to denormalize
  • Specialized
1 8.4

Surface Forms

flatten infinitive
flattened past
flattened past participle
flattening present participle
flattens third person singular

Morphology

flatten = flat (semi-transparent) = flat + en

Formed from 'flat' + '-en' but the technical meaning in computing (collapse nested structure) is a metaphorical extension that may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Flatten in computing is a modern use of flat plus -en meaning 'make'. It means to turn many levels into 'one level', like pressing a pile down into a single list so everything is on the same level.