etch

/ɛtʃ/

/ɛtʃ/

Other forms: etching; etched; etches

If you etch something you are cutting into it. You can etch "I ♥ U" into a tree trunk with a pocket knife or etch your initials in your desk with a key (if the teacher's not looking).

However and whatever you etch, it is generally considered a deep and lasting mark. The figurative use of etch is just as common as its literal sense. A particularly powerful memory, image or emotion is said to "etch itself" into your mind, meaning, like that piece of graffiti you etched into the tree trunk, it won't be likely to be erased anytime soon. Incise and carve are often interchangeable with etch.

Definitions of etch

1. verb

   carve or cut a design or letters into
   synonyms: engrave

   engrave, grave, inscribe, scratch

   carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface

   type of:

   carve, chip at

   engrave or cut by chipping away at a surface
2. verb

   carve or cut into a block used for printing or print from such a block
   synonyms: engrave

   types:

   benday

   reproduce by the Benday process

   stipple

   engrave by means of dots and flicks

   type of:

   print

   make into a print
3. verb

   selectively dissolve the surface of (a semiconductor or printed circuit) with a solvent, laser, or stream of electrons
   type of:

   dissolve

   cause to fade away
4. verb

   make an etching of
   “He etched her image into the surface”

   types:

   aquatint

   etch in aquatint

   type of:

   print

   make into a print
5. verb

   cause to stand out or be clearly defined or visible
   “a face etched with pain”

   “the leafless branches etched against the sky”

   type of:

   show

   make visible or noticeable