Showing results for "engraving"

• present participle of engrave.

engraving

American  

[en-gray-ving] / ɛnˈgreɪ vɪŋ /

noun

• engravings
  plural

1. the act or art of a person who or thing that engraves.

2. the art of forming designs by cutting, corrosion by acids, a photographic process, etc., on the surface of a metal plate, block of wood, or the like, for or as for the purpose of taking off impressions or prints of the design so formed.

3. the design engraved.

4. an engraved plate or block.

5. an impression or print from this.

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engraving British  

/ ɪnˈɡreɪvɪŋ /

noun

1. the art of a person who engraves

2. a block, plate, or other surface that has been engraved

3. a print made from such a surface

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engraving Cultural  

1. An artistic print made from a metal plate on which an artist has cut a design with a graver or a small chisel. (Compare etching.)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• engravings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of engraving

First recorded in 1595–1605; engrave + -ing ¹

Explanation

Engraving is the art or technique of carving designs into a surface. You'll find engraving on stationary, wedding rings, and even on tombstones. Some engraving results in an etched object, like a piece of jewelry or silverware. Other engraving is done on a metal plate, which is then used to print an illustration, design, or even paper money. You can call the design or resulting print an engraving as well. The word, from the verb engrave, combines the prefix en-, "in or into," and the now-obsolete grave, "to carve."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

engraving engravings

The writing is piercing and suspenseful, and Ms. Cline deserves praise for engraving a style recognizably her own.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

At the foot of the coffin was an engraving of a pair of wings that were embroidered on one of her stage jackets.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

"There is not only a process of repeating signs: there is real visuo-spatial planning, as if the authors already had an overall image of the figure in mind before engraving it."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

“Compromise - if the Carolina Hurricanes owner wants to do this how about just engraving ‘The Dundon Family’ instead of each name?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Why, then, did Copley show Revere at a workbench with his engraving tools spread out before him, holding a teapot as the object of his contemplation and offering it to us for our inspection?

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

Orders that ask for unique colors, name engravings and shapes now make up nearly a third of Adeyemo’s business.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

The items included icons, engravings, embroidery and other works, some dating from the 16th century.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

The engravings were broadcast on a screen at the back of the ballroom for those on the far ends of the packed hall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026

The engravings stolen from Biblioteca Mário de Andrade on Sunday formed part of a joint exhibition with the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art.

From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025

A reprint, not nearly as large as the one he saw in Frederick’s living room, but dazzling nonetheless: four hundred and thirty-five engravings.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Related Words

• etching
• illustration
• inscription
• lithograph
• woodcut