etching
[ ech-ing ]
/ ˈɛtʃ ɪŋ /
noun
the act or process of making designs or pictures on a metal plate, glass, etc., by the corrosive action of an acid instead of by a burin.
an impression, as on paper, taken from an etched plate.
the design so produced.
a metal plate bearing such a design.
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Words nearby etching
etcetera, etceteras, etch, etchant, etched in stone, etching, etching ground, etd, eteocles, eteoclus, eteocretan
Definition for etching (2 of 2)
etch
[ ech ]
/ ɛtʃ /
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to practice the art of etching.
noun
Printing. an acid used for etching.
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
OTHER WORDS FROM etch
etch·er, nounun·etched, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for etching
British Dictionary definitions for etching (1 of 2)
etching
/ (ˈɛtʃɪŋ) /
noun
the art, act, or process of preparing etched surfaces or of printing designs from them
an etched plate
an impression made from an etched plate
British Dictionary definitions for etching (2 of 2)
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, nounWord 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
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Cultural definitions for etching
etching
An artistic print made from a plate on which the artist has etched a design with acid. (Compare engraving.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.