mezzotint
Americannoun
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a method of engraving on copper or steel by burnishing or scraping away a uniformly roughened surface.
-
a print produced by this method.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a method of engraving a copper plate by scraping and burnishing the roughened surface
-
a print made from a plate so treated
verb
Other Word Forms
- mezzotinter noun
Etymology
Origin of mezzotint
First recorded in 1730–40, mezzotint is from the Italian word mezzotinto half-tint. See mezzo, tint
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The pangrams from yesterday’s Spelling Bee were mezzotint and monetize.
From New York Times
With its potential for fine shading, fluidity of line and exacting detail, the mezzotint rivals the most intricate pencil, ink or charcoal drawing.
From Seattle Times
Though the heart of her work — graphite and charcoal drawings, mezzotint and woodcut prints, paintings — is often described as dark, it has always been backlighted, in a sense, by California sun.
From New York Times
The clearest images are in a set of 1710 mezzotints, “The Four Indian Kings,” by the British printmaker John Simon.
From New York Times
Seattle’s Daniel Carrillo, best known for his faux-vintage photographs, has just one piece in the show — a mezzotint and engraving titled “Couple” — but it’s a doozy.
From Seattle Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
