drypoint means A technique of intaglio printmaking similar to engraving in which an image is incised into a plate by scratching the surface with a hard, sharp metal (or diamond) point. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why “drypoint” is a great word
DRYPOINT — [Noun] An intaglio printmaking technique in which an image is incised directly into a metal plate with a hard, sharp point, creating a burr of displaced metal that holds ink for a characteristically soft, velvety line. From the English words 'dry' (from Middle English *drie*, Old English *dryge*, meaning "without moisture") and 'point' (from Old French, Latin *punctum*, meaning "sharp tip"), referring to the method of drawing directly on a dry plate without the use of acid; first recorded in use 1825–35. Unlike etching, which surrenders the line to the chemical bite of acid, or engraving, which plows a clean, definitive furrow with a burin, drypoint is a gesture of immediate and fragile resistance. It is the metal's yielding sigh as the needle scratches a furrow, the velvety shadow cast by the ragged burr clinging to the line's edge, and the haunting, dwindling evidence of that struggle across a few dozen pulls of the press—a testament to beauty built from its own impermanence.
Etymology
From dry + point.
noun
- A technique of intaglio printmaking similar to engraving in which an image is incised into a plate by scratching the surface with a hard, sharp metal (or diamond) point.
- The needle used in this technique.
- A print made using this technique.