■ verb
1》 engrave (metal, glass, or stone) by coating it with a protective layer, drawing on it with a needle, and then covering it with acid to dissolve the parts the needle has exposed.
2》 (of an acid or other solvent) corrode or dissolve the surface of.
3》 cut or carve (a text or design) on a surface.
↘mark with a carved text or design.
4》 cause to be clearly defined: the outline of the town was ~ed against the sky.
Derivatives
~er noun
Origin
C17: from Du. etsen , from Ger. ätzen ; related to eat .