The word "相册" (xiàngcè) is a modern Chinese compound noun formed by combining two characters: "相" (xiàng), meaning "appearance," "portrait," or "photograph," and "册" (cè), meaning a "book," "volume," or "album." It follows a common modifier-head structure in Chinese word formation, where "相" acts as the modifier specifying the content (photos), and "册" acts as the head denoting the object's category (a bound collection or book). Thus, the term literally translates to "photo-book" or "album of photographs," logically describing a physical or digital album for storing pictures.