Showing results for "engraving"

• present participle of engrave.

engraving

American  

[en-grey-ving] / ɛnˈgreɪ vɪŋ /

noun

• engravings
  plural

1. the act or art of a person who or thing that engraves.

2. the art of forming designs by cutting, corrosion by acids, a photographic process, etc., on the surface of a metal plate, block of wood, or the like, for or as for the purpose of taking off impressions or prints of the design so formed.

3. the design engraved.

4. an engraved plate or block.

5. an impression or print from this.

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engraving British  

/ ɪnˈɡreɪvɪŋ /

noun

1. the art of a person who engraves

2. a block, plate, or other surface that has been engraved

3. a print made from such a surface

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engraving Cultural  

1. An artistic print made from a metal plate on which an artist has cut a design with a graver or a small chisel. (Compare etching.)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• engravings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of engraving

First recorded in 1595–1605; engrave + -ing ¹

Explanation

Engraving is the art or technique of carving designs into a surface. You'll find engraving on stationary, wedding rings, and even on tombstones. Some engraving results in an etched object, like a piece of jewelry or silverware. Other engraving is done on a metal plate, which is then used to print an illustration, design, or even paper money. You can call the design or resulting print an engraving as well. The word, from the verb engrave, combines the prefix en-, "in or into," and the now-obsolete grave, "to carve."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

engraving engravings

"There is not only a process of repeating signs: there is real visuo-spatial planning, as if the authors already had an overall image of the figure in mind before engraving it."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

After seeing the stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence, Gina Linn Espinoza said her mind was racing with thoughts of the history that brought us to the present day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026

When I think of people piling into funds with hot recent returns, I can’t help seeing this early engraving in my mind’s eye.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026

Erbium and neodymium are also important in making lasers for industrial engraving and cutting.

From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026

It had a picture of an engraving by Albrecht Dürer that had a magic square in it too.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine

"These engravings are organized and consistent, and show mastery of geometric relationships," Ferrara explains.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

The engravings were broadcast on a screen at the back of the ballroom for those on the far ends of the packed hall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026

Herman Melville’s American classic was given new life by Kent’s dramatic engravings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

"These large engravings are not just rock art - they were probably statements of presence, access, and cultural identity," said lead author, Dr. Maria Guagnin from Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2025

The woodworkers toiled all through the night to complete the restraints, furnishing them with ambitious if crude engravings.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

• etching
• illustration
• inscription
• lithograph
• woodcut