Adjacent Words

Etch definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ETCH, v.t.
1. To make prints on copper-plate by means of lines or strokes first drawn, and then eaten or corroded by nitric acid. The plate is first covered with a proper varnish or ground, which is capable of resisting the acid, and the ground is then scored or scratched by a needle or similar instrument, in the places where the hatchings or engravings are intended to be; the plate is then covered with nitric acid, which corrodes or eats the metal in the lines thus laid bare.
2. To sketch; to delineate. [Not in use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: make an etching of; "He etched her image into the surface"
2: cause to stand out or be clearly defined or visible; "a face etched with pain"; "the leafless branches etched against the sky"
3: carve or cut into a block used for printing or print from such a block; "engrave a letter" [syn: engrave, etch]
4: carve or cut a design or letters into; "engrave the pen with the owner's name" [syn: engrave, etch]
5: selectively dissolve the surface of (a semiconductor or printed circuit) with a solvent, laser, or stream of electrons

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Dutch etsen, from German ätzen to etch, corrode, from Old High German azzen to feed; akin to Old High German ezzan to eat — more at eat Date: 1634 transitive verb 1. a. to produce (as a pattern or design) on a hard material by eating into the material's surface (as by acid or laser beam) b. to subject to such etching 2. to delineate or impress clearly <scenes etched in our minds> <pain was etched on his features> intransitive verb to practice etching • etcher noun II. noun Date: 1896 1. the action or effect of etching a surface 2. a chemical agent used in etching

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 a tr. reproduce (a picture etc.) by engraving a design on a metal plate with acid (esp. to print copies). b tr. engrave (a plate) in this way. 2 intr. practise this craft. 3 tr. (foll. by on, upon) impress deeply (esp. on the mind). --n. the action or process of etching. Derivatives: etcher n. Etymology: Du. etsen f. G aumltzen etch f. OHG azzen cause to eat or to be eaten f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Etch Etch, v. i. To practice etching; to make etchings.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Etch Etch, n. A variant of Eddish. [Obs.] --Mortimer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Etch Etch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Etched; p. pr. & vb. n. Etching.] [D. etsen, G. ["a]tzen to feed, corrode, etch. MHG. etzen, causative of ezzen to eat, G. essen ??. See Eat.] 1. To produce, as figures or designs, on mental, glass, or the like, by means of lines or strokes eaten in or corroded by means of some strong acid. Note: The plate is first covered with varnish, or some other ground capable of resisting the acid, and this is then scored or scratched with a needle, or similar instrument, so as to form the drawing; the plate is then covered with acid, which corrodes the metal in the lines thus laid bare. 2. To subject to etching; to draw upon and bite with acid, as a plate of metal. I was etching a plate at the beginning of 1875. --Hamerton. 3. To sketch; to delineate. [R.] There are many empty terms to be found in some learned writes, to which they had recourse to etch out their system. --Locke.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(etches, etching, etched) If a line or pattern is etched into a surface, it is cut into the surface by means of acid or a sharp tool. You can also say that a surface is etched with a line or pattern. Crosses were etched into the walls... The acid etched holes in the crystal surface... Windows are etched with the vehicle identification number... The stained-glass panels are etched and then handpainted using traditional methods. VERB: be V-ed into/in/on n, V n into/in/on n, be V-ed with n, be V-ed

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Engrave (by corrosion of an acid). 2. Delineate for etching, draw with the etching-needle. II. v. n. 1. Practise etching. 2. Draw with the etching-needle, use the etching-needle.

Moby Thesaurus

bed, bite, bring home to, carve, confirm, corrode, cut, deep-dye, define, delineate, depict, describe, eat, eat into, eat out, embed, engraft, engrave, engrave on, entrench, establish, fix, found, grave, ground, impact, implant, impress, impress upon, imprint, incise, inculcate, infix, ingrain, inscribe, instill, jam, lodge, make it felt, outline, pack, picture, plant, portray, print, represent, root, score, scratch, seat, set, set forth, set in, settle, stamp, stamp on, stereotype, wedge