a print made from an engraving
"The museum displayed several fine prints, each created by transferring ink from a metal engraving onto paper."
a block or plate or other hard surface that has been engraved
"The artist carefully applied ink to the engraving, ensuring every fine line of the design would transfer clearly onto the paper."
The practice of incising a design onto a hard, flat surface, by cutting grooves into it.
"The artist spent hours perfecting his engraving, carefully cutting delicate lines and deep grooves into the polished copper plate to create the portrait."
In plain English: Engraving is an image that has been cut into a hard surface using sharp tools.
"The wedding ring features a delicate engraving of two intertwined hearts on its inside band."
Usage: While often used interchangeably with etching in casual conversation, engraving specifically involves cutting the design directly into the material rather than using acid to bite lines away. In formal contexts regarding printmaking techniques, distinguish this from lithography or woodcut based on the tool and method of mark-making.
present participle of engrave
"The artist carefully engraved the intricate design onto the wooden block before inking it for printing."
In plain English: To engrave means to cut designs, letters, or pictures into a hard surface using sharp tools.
"The artist carefully engraved his initials onto the silver ring before handing it over to the customer."
The word comes from the Old French engravir, meaning to carve or cut into a surface. It entered English around the late 14th century with this same sense of carving an image onto metal or stone.