Showing results for "engraving"

• present participle of engrave.

engraving

American  

[en-gray-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

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Etymology

Origin of engraving

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

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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

At the head of the coffin was an engraving of a cross that she wore, which was designed by jeweller Spencer Morgan.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

"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

Behind the hands and the needle, an engraving of the sun in splendor occupied the center of the dial.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

The rock art which the Lost Land Bridge Project has uncovered includes engravings on the cave walls, paintings in ochre and charcoal and line sketches indented into clay and earth by fingertips.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Orders that ask for unique colors, name engravings and shapes now make up nearly a third of Adeyemo’s business.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

The collection taps into the animal spirit, including celestial medallions, saber-teeth, horns, claws and symbolic engravings, in line with Aiko’s forthcoming album, “West$ide Whim$y.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

The whole scene resembled one of those engravings from the Middle Ages entitled “A Quack at Work.”

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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Related Words

• etching
• illustration
• inscription
• lithograph
• woodcut

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