noun
( -s )
1. : the act or process of etching (as a design) ; specifically : the art of producing pictures or designs by printing from a metal plate prepared by covering with a ground on which the picture is scratched with a needlelike instrument and then etched — compare aquatint , crayon manner , photoengraving , relief , soft ground
2. : the result or product of etching: as
a. : an etched plate
b. : a design produced by etching
c. : an impression on paper or a similar substance taken in ink from an etched plate
3. : a written sketch or impression
a series of etchings he wrote — A.W.Long
4. : a cracked state of the enamel of a tooth