etch

[ech]

verb (used with object)

1. 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.

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

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

4. to fix permanently in or implant firmly on the mind; root in the memory.

   Our last conversation is etched in my memory.

5. 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)

1. to practice the art of etching.

noun

1. Printing.,  an acid used for etching.

etch

/ ɛtʃ /

verb

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

2. 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

3. (tr) to cut with or as if with a sharp implement

   he etched his name on the table

4. (tr; usually passive) to imprint vividly

   the event was etched on her memory

Other Word Forms

• etcher noun
• unetched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of etch¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of etch¹

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

Example Sentences

Lincoln, meanwhile, became a kind of civic saint: His memorial in Washington, D.C., looks like a temple, with words from his speeches etched into the walls.

From Salon

Officials have not revealed a suspected motive for the attack, though they said the alleged gunman was increasingly angry and etched “hey fascist, catch” into the ammunition found with his rifle.

From Los Angeles Times

He has carved jellyfish on closet doors and has etched sea kelp into the front door for his wife, who’s an ocean swimmer.

From Los Angeles Times

Maybe this explains the creator’s choice to make the towering media malpractice that cemented Knox’s infamy a minor character as opposed to the acid geyser etching her supposed malice into our collective memory.

From Salon

A man missing for more than a week in the vast wilderness of Canada's province of British Columbia has been found after etching the word "help" on a rock and drawing "SOS" in the mud.

From BBC

Related Words

• depict 
• engrave 
• imprint 
• incise 
• ingrain 
• inscribe 
• portray 
• stamp