Gravé

Gravé is the French past participle of graver and an adjective meaning engraved or incised. It is used to describe objects that bear an inscription or image created by carving, cutting, or etching into a material such as metal, stone, wood, or glass. The term appears in art, jewelry, archaeology, and catalog descriptions to indicate that marks were produced by a deliberate incising process rather than by molding or stamping alone.

Etymology and usage: The verb graver comes from Old French and denotes the action of inscribing or carving. As an adjective, gravé agrees with the noun in gender and number (gravé, gravée, gravés, gravées) and specifies the result of the engraving.

Techniques and contexts: Gravure refers to a family of techniques in which lines are incised into a plate to hold ink for printmaking. A work described as gravé may involve metal engravings, stone engravings, or intaglio prints. In jewelry and decorative arts, gravé describes motifs or inscriptions etched or cut into metal or other surfaces. Modern practices also use laser engraving to produce gravé surfaces with high precision.

Common examples: une médaille gravée (an engraved medal), un nom gravé sur une bague (a name engraved on a ring), une pierre gravée (an engraved stone).

See also: Graver, gravure, engraving. The term is primarily used in French-language contexts, but appears in international catalogs and museum labels to denote an engraved or incised surface.