Engrave
/ɪnˈɡreɪv/noun
To cut, carve, or inscribe words or designs into a hard surface.
Did you know?Engrave comes from the same Germanic root as grave, originally tied to digging and carving, so writing and burial once lived in the same linguistic family of cutting into the earth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ghrebh-
“to dig, scrape, carve”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*grabaną
“to dig, carve”
Old English
English
grafan
“to dig, carve, engrave”
Old French
Old French
encraver
“to carve in, inscribe”
Middle English
English
engraven
“to engrave, carve deeply”
Modern English
English
engrave
“to cut or carve a design or words into a surface”