etch

[ ech ]

/ ɛtʃ /

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See synonyms for: etch / etched / etching / etcher on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to cut, bite, or corrode with an acid or the like; engrave with an acid or the like, as to form a design in furrows that when charged with ink will give an impression on paper.

to produce (a design, image, etc.) by this method, as on copper or glass.

to outline clearly or sharply; delineate, as a person's features or character.

to fix permanently in or implant firmly on the mind; root in the memory: Our last conversation is etched in my memory.

Geology. to cut (a feature) into the surface of the earth by means of erosion: A deep canyon was etched into the land by the river's rushing waters.

verb (used without object)

to practice the art of etching.

noun

Printing. an acid used for etching.

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of etch

1625–35; <Dutch etsen<German ätzen to etch, originally cause to eat; cognate with Old English ettan to graze; akin to eat

OTHER WORDS FROM etch

etcher, nounun·etched, adjective

Words nearby etch

étape, etatism, etc., etcetera, etceteras, etch, etchant, etched in stone, etching, etching ground, E.T.D.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use etch in a sentence

“I wrote them a letter that I wanted a camera and an Etch a Sketch, but it didn’t go so well,” Kamryn said.
First-grader wrote Old Navy asking for girls’ jeans to have real pockets. The letter went viral.|Cathy Free|April 9, 2021|Washington Post
I wish I could rub out my life,” she laments in the opening chapter, “twiddling knobs as on an Etch A Sketch, and start again.
Feminist Flagellant: Liz Jones’s Surprising Brand of Tell-All|Emma Garman|July 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
On cable, you shake an Etch a Sketch every time you go on air.
Why Hagel Matters|Peter Beinart|January 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But like his other etch-a-sketch moderation efforts, it might be too little, too late.
Mitt Romney's Iowa Problem|Daniel Gross|November 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST

After the primaries, most pundits expected Romney to Etch-a-Sketch his way to the center.
Mitt Romney’s Biggest Campaign Success|Peter Beinart|November 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I'll be posting followups to Etch-A-Mitt, the Terrible Generals post, and on why the foreign policy questions are terrible.
Comments|Justin Green|October 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
For the last time I referred to the map, pulpy and blurred with the day's exposure, and tried to etch it into my brain.
The Riddle of the Sands|Erskine Childers
The light tints come out very soft and smooth, but the black tones etch "flat" and lose all detail.
The Building of a Book|Various
Then, I love to etch, particularly on noses, and that was a good big one.
Daisy|Miranda Eliot Swan
I do not know at what date my mother began to etch on copper.
Miscellanea|Juliana Horatia Ewing
She ate daintily, and as we talked, I studied her face as if I would etch it on my memory forever.
The Trail of '98|Robert W. Service

British Dictionary definitions for etch

etch

/ (ɛtʃ) /

verb

(tr) to wear away the surface of (a metal, glass, etc) by chemical action, esp the action of an acid

to cut or corrode (a design, decoration, etc) on (a metal or other plate to be used for printing) by using the action of acid on parts not covered by wax or other acid-resistant coating

(tr) to cut with or as if with a sharp implementhe etched his name on the table

(tr; usually passive) to imprint vividlythe event was etched on her memory

Derived forms of etch

etcher, noun

Word Origin for etch

C17: from Dutch etsen, from Old High German azzen to feed, bite

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

etch

Origin of etch

OTHER WORDS FROM etch

Words nearby etch

Words related to etch

How to use etch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for etch

Derived forms of etch

Word Origin for etch