mezzotint

mezzotint

English

An early 18th-century mezzotint by George White of Erasmus Smith (baptised 1611; died 1691), an English merchant, landowner and philanthropist in the field of education

Alternative forms

• mezzotinto (dated)

Etymology

Borrowed Italian mezzatinta (literally “half dye”).

Noun

mezzotint (plural mezzotints)

1. A form of intaglio etching in which a metal plate is roughened evenly and then smoothed to bring out an image.

   Coordinate term: aquatint

   Hypernyms: etching, intaglio

2. An etching or print made using this method.

Verb

mezzotint (third-person singular simple present mezzotints, present participle mezzotinting, simple past and past participle mezzotinted)

1. To make such etchings

Further reading

• mezzotint on Wikipedia.Wikipedia