drypoint

noun

dry·​point ˈdrī-ˌpȯint How to pronounce drypoint (audio)
: an engraving made with a steel or jeweled point directly into the metal plate without the use of acid as in etching
also : a print made from such an engraving

Examples of drypoint in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web John Barrett The clearest recording of the drypoint inscription to date. Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2023 In the same 1922 drypoint, he is crowded onto a narrow tram seat with another man who sucks his thumb and a gaunt woman who stares at the ground, her eyes almost shut with exhaustion. Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023 In small woodcuts and drypoint etchings of the early 1920s, the shallow spaces and hard angles Beckmann initially applied to Christian motifs get redeployed for portraits, party scenes and acid views of Weimar society. Jason Farago, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023 Figure at Mid-noon, a shadowy, granular etching and drypoint from the early 1950s, could almost pass for a Dubuffet flattened into two dimensions. Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 6 Sep. 2023 Some employ black chalk, black or red pencil, watercolor, or drypoint printmaking. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 30 June 2023 Novices and experts alike are welcome at this countrified art retreat offering classes in painting, drawing, airbrush, drypoint, lino, monoprinting and mixed media. Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2022 This discovery led researchers to surmise that whoever made the inscriptions likely used a drypoint knife or stylus without any ink. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2022 Wearing a snood that fully covered her hair, as is traditional for married Orthodox women, Golin-Cahn showed me her series of drypoint etches on the biblical story of Esther, inspired by Rembrandt. Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drypoint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drypoint was in 1871

Dictionary Entries Near drypoint

Cite this Entry

“Drypoint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drypoint. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

drypoint

noun
dry·​point ˈdrī-ˌpȯint How to pronounce drypoint (audio)
: a picture made by engraving a metal plate with a tool and not using acid

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