emboss — to carve, mold, or press a design so that it stands out from a surface in relief
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to carve, mold, or press a design so that it stands out from a surface in relief
Pronunciation (IPA): /ɪmˈbɔːs/
Example Sentences
- My grandma's business cards are so fancy, they're embossed with gold letters that you can literally feel with your finger.
- He tried to emboss his own face on a coin, but the machine only made a dent that looked like a confused potato.
- The embossed pattern on the wallpaper made the room look expensive, even though it cost only ten dollars.
emboss
VERB[/ɪmˈbɔːs/]
to carve, mold, or press a design so that it stands out from a surface in relief
The craftsman uses a heated tool to emboss a golden crest onto the leather book cover.
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Emboss derives from Old French embocer, combining the prefix em- (into, upon) with boce (a knob or protuberance). The word originally meant to cause a surface to protrude like a knob or bump, and evolved to describe the process of creating raised designs or patterns on a surface through stamping or pressure.
Breakdown
em- (into, upon) + boce (knob, protuberance) → 'to cause to bulge or protrude.' The morphological combination produces the sense of imparting a raised, three-dimensional effect to a flat surface.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My grandma's business cards are so fancy, they're embossed with gold letters that you can literally feel with your finger.”
“He tried to emboss his own face on a coin, but the machine only made a dent that looked like a confused potato.”
“The embossed pattern on the wallpaper made the room look expensive, even though it cost only ten dollars.”
“The credit card has your name embossed on it, so if you rub a pencil over paper on top of it, you can secretly copy someone's card number—very illegal, don't try this.”
📚Related Words
Want to master 27,000+ words?
Sign up free for flashcards & quizzes.