etching

[ ech-ing ]

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.

etching

/ 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

etching

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of etching¹

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

Example Sentences

“I’m just trying to process all this,” Gunning tells us, not long before etching her own name on a statuette.

From Los Angeles Times

Paint and etchings, including two names - Shal and Noah - were left scrawled on the walls and floor of Robin’s Hood Cave on Stanage Edge, near Hope Valley.

From BBC

He recalled going to visit the Woodland cemetery as a child to pay respects to his grandfather and being startled that the etching on the gravestone said “Young” instead of “Fong.”

From Los Angeles Times

The famed surrealist Salvador Dalí is coming to Seattle — at least an intriguing series of his etchings is.

From Seattle Times

The etching must also be carried out in the dark as cyanide develops in the reaction when it is struck by light, and it dissolves gold.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• engraving
• inscription
• reproduction