Word.ws English Dictionary

drypoint

drypoint 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.

drypoint: a technique of intaglio printmaking similar to engraving in which an image is incised into a plate...
Image: TG 642, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

drypoint (countable and uncountable, plural drypoints)

  1. (uncountable) 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.
  2. (countable) The needle used in this technique.
  3. (countable) A print made using this technique.

Verb

drypoint (third-person singular simple present drypoints, present participle drypointing, simple past and past participle drypointed)

  1. To create a print by this means.

Forms of drypoint

Noun
pluraldrypoints
alternative formdry point
Verb
third-person singular presentdrypoints
present participledrypointing
past participledrypointed
pastdrypointed

Origin of drypoint

From dry + point.

Questions about drypoint

What does drypoint mean?
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.
What part of speech is drypoint?
Drypoint can be a noun or a verb.
What is the plural of drypoint?
The plural of drypoint is drypoints.

Words near drypoint in the dictionary

  1. dryosaurids
  2. dryout
  3. dryouts
  4. drypainting
  5. drypaintings
  6. drypoint
  7. drypointed
  8. drypointer
  9. drypointers
  10. drypointing
  11. drypoints

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: drypoint (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “drypoint.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/drypoint. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.