etch

[ ech ]

/ ɛtʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR etch 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.

Nearby words

etaoin shrdlu, etatism, etc., etcetera, etceteras, etch, etchant, etched in stone, etching, etching ground, etd

Origin of etch

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

Related forms

etch·er, nounun·etched, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for etched

He remained motionless in the next shot but the fear of what was to follow was etched on his face.
ISIS Beheads British Aid Worker Alan Henning|Nico Hines|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The images from her memorial service and the faces of the grief stricken soldiers she served with are etched into my memory.
The Names You Don’t Hear: Nearly 200 Women Have Died in Iraq and Afghanistan|Kate Hoit|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That date is etched onto a flask he gave me to store last minute, to be given back in the states once we were home.
Memorial Days After Mourning Has Passed|Alex Horton|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The physical Hookie is an etched glass paperweight in the shape of a brilliant-cut diamond.
And The Escort of The Year Is… Backstage at The Sex Oscars|Scott Bixby|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Kenney's work was gentle by Lampoon standards, etched with nostalgia and scenes of mock domestic bliss.
Doug Kenney: The Odd Comic Genius Behind ‘Animal House’ and National Lampoon|Robert Sam Anson|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The huge edifice was etched in flame against the sombre background of the high mountain.
A Prince of Good Fellows|Robert Barr
One of three hundred and ten copies printed, with etched frontispiece.
A Catalogue of Books in English Later than 1700 (Vol 1 of 3)|Various
One of fifty large paper copies printed, with etched portrait of the author.
A Catalogue of Books in English Later than 1700 (Vol 1 of 3)|Various
Engraved title-pages, frontispieces, and ten other plates drawn and etched by A. Hervieu.
A Catalogue of Books in English Later than 1700 (Vol 3 of 3)|Various
Each frozen wave on the surface of the ice was etched in sharp lines.
The Silent Barrier|Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for etched

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

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