burin

American  

[byoor-in, bur-] / ˈbyʊər ɪn, ˈbɜr- /

noun

1. a tempered steel rod, with a lozenge-shaped point and a rounded handle, used for engraving furrows in metal.

2. a similar tool used by marble workers.

3. a prehistoric pointed or chisel-like flint tool.

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burin British  

/ ˈbjʊərɪn /

noun

1. a chisel of tempered steel with a sharp lozenge-shaped point, used for engraving furrows in metal, wood, or marble

2. an engraver's individual style

3. archaeol a prehistoric flint tool with a very small transverse edge

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Etymology

Origin of burin

First recorded in 1655–65; from French, from Italian burino (now bulino ) “graving tool,” equivalent to bur- (perhaps from Germanic; bore ² ) + -ino -ine ²

Example Sentences

“The main thing is practice,” said Raftery, 61, who picked up a burin, the engraver’s tool, in his third year of art school and was hooked.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 25, 2023

Engraving is a very difficult technique, in which a metal burin is forced into a wooden or metal plate.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2017

But it is still Piranesi the fantast and archivist, the obsessed historian with a burin, who holds the eye today.

From Time Magazine Archive

Moments later, eyes gleaming, the intruder extracts a keen little burin from his belt and begins to chisel delicately at a metal printing plate.

From Time Magazine Archive

Over and over, Maria sank the sharp point of the wood-handled engraving tool, called a burin, into the polished metal, carving up tiny curls of shining copper.

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