tintype means an early, remarkably durable form of photograph (technically a photographic negative), printed on a tin plate, then varnished. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
tintype is pronounced /ˈtɪntaɪp/.
Why “tintype” is a great word
TINTYPE — [Noun] A durable early photograph made by creating a direct positive on a thin, enameled iron plate. From 'tin' (the metal) + 'type' (impression, image). Unlike a 'daguerreotype' (a singular, mirror-delicate image on silvered copper) or an 'ambrotype' (a ghostly positive on glass requiring a dark backing), a tintype is a hardy, direct impression on metal. It is the cool, rigid weight of the plate in a soldier's pocket; the faint chemical smell of a developing wagon at a county fair; the stark, unsmiling gaze of a subject who could hold the finished portrait minutes later—a democratic relic of a moment already passed, a humble proof of existence forged in common iron.
Etymology
From tin + type.
noun
- An early, remarkably durable form of photograph (technically a photographic negative), printed on a tin plate, then varnished.“She was so mad she wouldn't speak to me for quite a spell, but at last I coaxed her into going up to Miss Emmeline's room and fetching down a tintype of the missing Deacon man.”
verb
- To produce a tintype image of.