Emboss
/ɪmˈbɒs/noun
To decorate a surface with a raised design or pattern.
Did you know?The word comes through French from a term for a hump or swelling, linking decorative relief work to the language of bumps, bulges, and raised bodily shapes.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic (proposed)
PGmc
*baut-
“To strike or beat; a possible source for the swelling sense behind French bosse”
12th Century
Old French
boce
“A swelling, hump, or protuberance”
13th–14th Century
Old French
bosse
“A bump, hump, or raised mass”
15th Century
Middle French
embosser
“To make raised or embossed; literally, to give a boss or swelling”
15th Century
English
emboss
“To ornament by raising a design above a surface”
Modern English
English
emboss
“To produce a raised design or lettering on a material”