Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “engraving” come from?

Engraving derives from English engrave, from English grave meaning to carve, from Latin gravis meaning heavy, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to bear weight.

engraving (English): The practice of incising a design onto a hard,...

Definitions

  1. The practice of incising a design onto a hard,...

Ancestry of “engraving”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishengraveTo carve text or symbols into , usually for the...
2EnglishingraveObsolete form of engrave; To bury
3EnglishgraveAn excavation in the earth as a place of burial;...
4Frenchgraviergravel; crushed rocks between 5 and 40 mm in...
5Old Frenchgravé—
6Medieval Latingrava—
7Gaulishgrawa—
8Proto-Celticgrāwāgravel, pebbles
9Proto-Indo-Europeangʰroh₁weh₂—
10Proto-Indo-Europeangʰreh₁w-to grind

Words derived from “engraving”

  • photoengraving
  • electroengraving
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰreh₁w- →