1630s, verbal noun from etch (v.), also "the art of engraving;" 1760s as "a print, etc., made from an etched plate."
Entries linking to etching
etch v.
1630s, "to engrave by eating away the surface of with acids," from Dutch etsen, from German ätzen "to etch," from Old High German azzon "give to eat; cause to bite, feed," from Proto-Germanic *atjanan, causative of *etanan "eat" (from PIE root *ed- "to eat"). Related: Etched; etching. The Etch A Sketch drawing toy was introduced 1960 by Ohio Art Company.