etching

[ ech-ing ]

/ ˈɛtʃ ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR etching ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

etcetera, etceteras, etch, etchant, etched in stone, etching, etching ground, etd, eteocles, eteoclus, eteocretan

Origin of etching

First recorded in 1625–35; etch + -ing¹

Definition for etching (2 of 2)

etch

[ ech ]

/ ɛtʃ /

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.

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 etching

He had customized his new gun by etching in the words “better off this way” and “my ELF weapon.”
Inside the Washington Navy Yard’s Building 197 During Alexis’s Rampage|Michael Daly|September 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Celluloid is to Dean what oil paint is to Titian or etching to Whistler.
Tacita Dean: One of Today’s 10 Most Important Artists|Blake Gopnik|June 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The Pablo Picasso etching had stalled at a bid of $5,400, barely above its low estimate.
Bernie's Fire Sale|Brett Sokol|May 23, 2009|DAILY BEAST
That day, I walked by the Vietnam Memorial and people were etching names on to front pages of newspapers.
Let's Not Have a Ball|Wendy Button|December 9, 2008|DAILY BEAST

Again, "Disturbing the Congregation" is an etching subject, elaborated.
The Life Of George Cruikshank, Vol. II. (of II)|Blanchard Jerrold
This is the process of etching with which Rembrandt did his matchless work.
The Book of Art for Young People|Agnes Conway
Not every printer can print an etching as it ought to be printed.
A Treatise on Etching|Maxime Lalanne
Now I needed only practice in order to carry out my project of etching my literary productions in copper.
The Invention of Lithography|Alois Senefelder
Above a washstand hung a Swiss etching of the Matterhorn, a sketchy rendering.
When the Owl Cries|Paul Bartlett

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

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

Culture definitions for etching

etching

An artistic print made from a plate on which the artist has etched a design with acid. (Compare engraving.)

etching

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of etching

Definition for etching (2 of 2)

etch

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Origin of etch

Related forms

Examples from the Web for etching

British Dictionary definitions for etching (1 of 2)

etching

noun

British Dictionary definitions for etching (2 of 2)

etch

verb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for etch

Culture definitions for etching

etching