mezzotint

M3E1Z10Z10O1T1I1N1T1

noun

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

OriginItalian mezzatinta →
UncommonScrabble 29
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounmezzotint (plural mezzotints)

plural mezzotints · alternative dated mezzotinto

  1. A form of intaglio etching in which a metal plate is roughened evenly and then smoothed to bring out an image.
  2. An etching or print made using this method.
verbmezzotint (third-person singular simple present mezzotints, present participle mezzotinting, simple past and past participle mezzotinted)

present singular third person mezzotints · participle present mezzotinting · participle past mezzotinted · past mezzotinted · alternative dated mezzotinto

  1. To make such etchings

Origin

  1. Italianmezzatinta
  2. Englishmezzotint

Borrowed Italian mezzatinta (literally “half dye”).

More words from Italian

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

mezzotint. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mezzotint

MLA

“mezzotint.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mezzotint. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mezzotint,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mezzotint.

Source: mezzotint on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.