aquatint

[ ak-wuh-tint, ah-kwuh- ]

/ ˈæk wəˌtɪnt, ˈɑ kwə- /

noun

a process imitating the broad flat tints of ink or wash drawings by etching a microscopic crackle on the copperplate intended for printing.

an etching made by this process.

verb (used with or without object)

to etch in aquatint.

Nearby words

aquarium, aquarius, aquashow, aquatic, aquatics, aquatint, aquatone, aquavit, aqueduct, aqueduct of sylvius, aqueductus

Origin of aquatint

1775–85; variant of aqua-tinta < Italian acqua tinta literally, tinted water. See aqua, tint

Related formsaq·ua·tint·er, aq·ua·tint·ist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for aquatint

Etch all shades of the color pretty deeply in any of the stippled or aquatint styles.
The Invention of Lithography|Alois Senefelder
The plate has a wash of aquatint, all over it, and the etching is free and bold.
Rowlandson the Caricaturist. First Volume|Joseph Grego
In aquatint it must be dampened more, about six dry sheets coming to one wet one.
The Invention of Lithography|Alois Senefelder
The young artist is happy in the use of aquatint, and to judge from his colour combinations one might call him a rich colourist.
Ivory Apes and Peacocks|James Huneker

The intermediate plates are landscapes, after anonymous artists, engraved in aquatint by Hassell and others.
Rowlandson the Caricaturist. Second Volume|Joseph Grego

British Dictionary definitions for aquatint

aquatint

/ (ˈækwəˌtɪnt) /

noun

a technique of etching copper with acid to produce an effect resembling the flat tones of wash or watercolour. The tone or tint is obtained by acid (aqua) biting through the pores of a ground that only partially protects the copper

an etching made in this way

verb

(tr) to etch (a block, etc) in aquatint

Word Origin for aquatint

C18: from Italian acqua tinta: dyed water

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for aquatint

aquatint

1782, "engraving made with aqua fortis," from Italian acquatinta, from Latin aqua tincta "dyed water;" see aqua- + tinct.