etching

[ech-ing]

noun

1. 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.

2. an impression, as on paper, taken from an etched plate.

3. the design so produced.

4. a metal plate bearing such a design.

etching

/ ˈɛtʃɪŋ /

noun

1. the art, act, or process of preparing etched surfaces or of printing designs from them

2. an etched plate

3. an impression made from an etched plate

etching

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of etching¹

First recorded in 1625–35; etch + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

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

I was looking to read those words for myself, to touch them and the etching of El Aliso that hovered above the dedication.

From Los Angeles Times

Kershaw will all but certainly reach the 3,000-strikeout mark, etching his name on a list that features just 19 other pitchers.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m just trying to process all this,” Gunning tells us, not long before etching her own name on a statuette.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• engraving 
• inscription 
• reproduction