Word of the Day

: April 7, 2009

hachure

verb ha-SHUR

What It Means

: to shade with or show by short lines used for shading and denoting surfaces in relief (as in map drawing) and drawn in the direction of slope

hachure in Context

"In the early years of the survey, hachuring was used to indicate the steepness of slopes on maps, whereas in later years, the more abbreviated and legible contour line was employed." (Robin E. Kelsey, The Art Bulletin, December 1, 2003)

Did You Know?

As our example sentence indicates, hachuring is an old map drawing technique that was largely replaced in later years by the use of contour lines, or lines that connect points of similar elevation. The word "hachure," which can also be a noun referring to one of the short lines used in hachuring, comes from the French "hacher," meaning "to chop up" or "hash." This French word is also the source of the verbs "hash," which can mean "to chop (as meat and potatoes) into small pieces," among other meanings, and "hatch," meaning "to inlay with narrow bands of distinguishable material" and "to mark (as a drawing or engraving) with fine closely spaced lines."