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etched; etching; etches
1
a
: to produce (something, such 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
: to practice etching
etcher
noun
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Verb
etched an identification number on the back of the television
glass that has been etched with an identification number
Recent Examples on the Web
Conor Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Jan. 2023
This cleaner from Granite Gold cleans stone grout without the chemicals (ammonia and acid) found in traditional cleaners that could etch the natural stone.
—Carolyn Forté, Good Housekeeping, 21 Dec. 2022
As construction workers completed the finishing touches around campus, freshmen, sophomores and juniors came together to etch their place in the program’s history.
—Dallas News, 1 Aug. 2022
For those without the horticultural skills to blanket churches in fescue, wrap bridges in foliage, or etch mythic figures in rice paddies, there is grass painting.
—Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010
Never use products containing lemon, vinegar, or other acids or it may dull or etch the marble kitchen backsplash.
—Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2022
Rosie Grant makes the recipes people etch into their gravestones – like this one for spritz cookies, at the grave of Naomi Miller-Dawson.
—CBS News, 18 Nov. 2022
Fortunately for the sake of Lewis' sanity, his team did not have to etch in all the High Valyrian glyphs on the dagger that shows up in the context of House of the Dragon when it's heated by fire.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 21 Oct. 2022
If Friday night’s performance in a 49-19 win over Everett was any indication, Henry, a junior transfer from Belmont Hill, appears to have the tools to etch his own chapter in a family story that has made a lasting impression in the region.
—Mike Mcmahon, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2022
Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2013
Packing in the Data To create the devices, the researchers blast a disc of glass with intense femtosecond laser pulses, creating nanoscale etch marks within its structure that alter the polarization of light beams.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2016
Those two, plus Tokyo Electron Ltd., accounted for 91% of the worldwide dry-etch-system market in 2021, according to consulting firm Gartner Inc.
—Peter Landers, WSJ, 9 Nov. 2022
There seems to be a limitless number of products available to clean, strip, etch, degrease, and brighten various surfaces around the home, yard, and workshop.
—Popular Mechanics, 6 Oct. 2020
If your floors have deep scuffs or scratches, start by using etch remover.
—Emma Bazilian, House Beautiful, 28 May 2020
From the clearing where we’d laid out our tents and camp pads, the opposite bank of the river was barely perceptible except for a faint Etch-a-Sketch panorama of sandstone buttes and towers.
—Jim Buchta, chicagotribune.com, 11 Aug. 2017
See More
Verb
Beniers didn’t etch his name on the box score Thursday night.
—Conor Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Jan. 2023
This cleaner from Granite Gold cleans stone grout without the chemicals (ammonia and acid) found in traditional cleaners that could etch the natural stone.
—Carolyn Forté, Good Housekeeping, 21 Dec. 2022
As construction workers completed the finishing touches around campus, freshmen, sophomores and juniors came together to etch their place in the program’s history.
—Dallas News, 1 Aug. 2022
For those without the horticultural skills to blanket churches in fescue, wrap bridges in foliage, or etch mythic figures in rice paddies, there is grass painting.
—Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010
Never use products containing lemon, vinegar, or other acids or it may dull or etch the marble kitchen backsplash.
—Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2022
Rosie Grant makes the recipes people etch into their gravestones – like this one for spritz cookies, at the grave of Naomi Miller-Dawson.
—CBS News, 18 Nov. 2022
Fortunately for the sake of Lewis' sanity, his team did not have to etch in all the High Valyrian glyphs on the dagger that shows up in the context of House of the Dragon when it's heated by fire.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 21 Oct. 2022
If Friday night’s performance in a 49-19 win over Everett was any indication, Henry, a junior transfer from Belmont Hill, appears to have the tools to etch his own chapter in a family story that has made a lasting impression in the region.
—Mike Mcmahon, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2022
Noun
All the fractured parts in each group were bonded to their relevant apical parts by an etch and rinse bonding system and a flowable composite resin.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2013
Packing in the Data To create the devices, the researchers blast a disc of glass with intense femtosecond laser pulses, creating nanoscale etch marks within its structure that alter the polarization of light beams.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2016
Those two, plus Tokyo Electron Ltd., accounted for 91% of the worldwide dry-etch-system market in 2021, according to consulting firm Gartner Inc.
—Peter Landers, WSJ, 9 Nov. 2022
There seems to be a limitless number of products available to clean, strip, etch, degrease, and brighten various surfaces around the home, yard, and workshop.
—Popular Mechanics, 6 Oct. 2020
If your floors have deep scuffs or scratches, start by using etch remover.
—Emma Bazilian, House Beautiful, 28 May 2020
From the clearing where we’d laid out our tents and camp pads, the opposite bank of the river was barely perceptible except for a faint Etch-a-Sketch panorama of sandstone buttes and towers.
—Jim Buchta, chicagotribune.com, 11 Aug. 2017
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'etch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
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
First Known Use
Verb
1634, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near etch
Cite this Entry
“Etch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/etch. Accessed 3 Feb. 2023.
More from Merriam-Webster on etch
Nglish: Translation of etch for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of etch for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about etch
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