etching

American  

[ech-ing] / ˈɛtʃ ɪŋ /

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.

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etching British  

/ 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

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etching Cultural  

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

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Etymology

Origin of etching

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

Example Sentences

A typical fab processes silicon wafers in batches, moving them together through different stages of printing and etching to build chips layer by layer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

The venture would also presumably need equipment for etching and deposition, which are manufacturing and packaging processes.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

“By no means are we etching anything in stone, but putting a framework out there to guide the community,” said Jerry Chow, IBM’s chief technology officer of quantum-centric computing.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

"Fabrication of modern devices takes hundreds, if not thousands, of steps of chemical etching and deposition and heating, and then every single step does something to your structure," Karapetyan said.

From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2026

I found Kilvin in his office, etching runes into a hemisphere of glass for another hanging lamp.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• engraving
• inscription
• reproduction