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

Twiggs testified that Robinson had asked weeks earlier about using an engraving tool in advance of an upcoming hunting and camping trip with his family.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

A stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026

More than 40,000 years ago, early humans were already engraving symbols onto tools, figurines, and other objects.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026

Lucien Myette began engraving four years ago, after working at a Stewart’s convenience store.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026

OPPOSITE: Maria based this 1679 engraving of silkworm metamorphosis on sketches she made during her first silkworm study in 1660.

From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman

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

Early paintings and engravings show people not just reacting to the world, but representing it, sharing stories and identities in a way no other species is known to have done.

From BBC ● Jan. 21, 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 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

Related Words

• etching
• illustration
• inscription
• lithograph
• woodcut