incise

Everyday

1. (formal) To cut carefully into a surface, such as stone, wood or skin. tree →
2. To carve a pattern or letters into something. tree →

In the lessons

In art and history: patterns incised on pottery, letters incised in stone. In medicine: a doctor incises the skin during an operation. It is a formal word; everyday words are «cut» or «carve».

Examples

• Ancient people incised patterns on their pots. tree →
• The names were incised in the stone. tree →
• The surgeon incised the skin carefully. tree →
• Use a cocktail stick to incise lines in the clay. tree →
• The carver incised a fish shape on the wood. tree →

Note

Formal. Noun: incision (a cut made by a doctor). Related: incisor (a front cutting tooth). Do not confuse with «incite» (to stir people up).