Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The art of preparing etched plates, especially metal plates, from which designs and pictures are printed.
- noun A design etched on a plate.
- noun An impression made from an etched plate.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In photography, a plate, as of copper, coated with a substance sensitive to light, which after exposure and development is subjected to the dissolving action of a chemical, such as nitric acid, which attacks the bare metal.
- noun A process of engraving in which the lines are produced by the action of an acid or mordant instead of by a burin.
- noun An impression taken from an etched plate.
- noun A line etched, or appearing as if etched.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The act, art, or practice of engraving by means of acid which eats away lines or surfaces left unprotected in metal, glass, or the like. See
etch , v. t. - noun A design carried out by means of the above process; a pattern on metal, glass, etc., produced by etching.
- noun An impression on paper, parchment, or other material, taken in ink from an etched plate.
- noun (Min.) markings produced on the face of a crystal by the action of an appropriate solvent. They have usually a definite form, and are important as revealing the molecular structure.
- noun a sharp-pointed steel instrument with which lines are drawn in the ground or varnish in etching.
- noun (Needlework) a stitch used outline embroidery.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun uncountable The art of producing an
image from a metal plate into which an image or text has beenetched with acid. - noun countable The image created by this process.
- verb Present participle of
etch .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an etched plate made with the use of acid
- noun an impression made from an etched plate
- noun making engraved or etched plates and printing designs from them
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word etching.
Examples
-
The original etching is an allegory about the reformation.
-
Hayter and team, with their extensive experience in etching and lithography, assumed that Blake's core technical problem was reproducing text without having to write it backward on the plate.
-
Relief etching is like drawing, but drawing and painting are also like printing?
-
But I don't feel the least inclined to, and I was going to begin etching this winter, but ....
-
The word etching is derived from the Dutch _etzen_, and the most famous etchers in the world have been among Dutch and German artists.
-
It’s a technique that all people share but all etching is different.
Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books » Psycho Child’s Review Forum
-
Gamma - Students with advanced power skills and novice to adept skill in etching.
Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books » Psycho Child’s Review Forum
-
The etching is a little worn—the rest is hard to read.
-
The etching is a little worn—the rest is hard to read.
-
I wonder what it would take to use this "process known as etching" for something constructive.
Don’t Clean Dishes Before Putting Them In The Dishwasher | Lifehacker Australia
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.