Engravable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Able to be carved, cut, or etched into a surface such as metal, wood, or glass
2. Suitable for having an image or text incised or impressed into it through engraving
3. Capable of receiving an engraved design or inscription by means of cutting or chemical treatment

Etymology: "Engravable" is a plain combination of two English parts: the verb "engrave" and the suffix "-able," which marks something that can be done to the thing named. So an engravable surface is one that can be engraved. The formation is simple, and the suffix does most of the work, since "-able" attaches freely to verbs in English and can produce a new adjective whenever a speaker needs one. The verb underneath has its own history. "Engrave" comes from "en-," meaning "in," joined to "grave," meaning to cut or carve into a surface, so the core sense is cutting into something. That literal sense of carving has stayed intact, which makes the adjective easy to read: whatever can be cut into can be engraved, whether metal, glass, or stone.

Synonyms: engraven, engraveable