frames

A frame is a rigid boundary or structural skeleton that defines shape or provides support. It can be a physical frame in architecture (door frames, window frames), a structural frame in engineering (steel or timber frame buildings), or a decorative container such as a picture frame.

In film, video, and animation: A frame is a single still image in a sequence; moving images are produced by displaying many frames in rapid succession. Frame rate measures how many frames are shown per second; common rates include 24 fps for cinema and 30 or 60 fps for video and games. Key frames define important states in animation; in-between frames fill the gaps.

In computing and digital media: A frame can refer to an individual image in a frame buffer used by graphics hardware; historically, HTML frames (and the frameset element) allowed multiple documents in one window, but frames are now largely deprecated in favor of CSS layouts and iframes for embeds. In web design, an iframe embeds another document within a page.

Frame of reference: In physics and geometry, a frame of reference is a coordinate system used to measure positions, velocities, and other quantities. Observers in different frames may measure different values; transformations relate them. Special and general relativity address how frames move relative to each other.

Other uses: In sports, a frame denotes a single game, as in snooker or billiards. In everyday language, frame can mean a contextual boundary or framework for understanding a topic, or a physical border around an object like a picture frame.