emboss

Meaning

Verb

1. (transitive) To cause (something) to stick out or swell; to extrude; also, to cause (someone or something) to be covered in swellings.
2. (transitive) To make (a design on a coin, an ornament on an object, etc.) stand out from a surface.
3. (transitive) To represent (a subject) on an object in relief; also, of a design or subject: to stand out on (an object) in relief.
4. (transitive) To decorate or mark (something) with a design or symbol in relief.
5. (transitive) To decorate (something) with bosses (“ornamental convex protuberances”); to boss; hence, to decorate (something) richly.
6. (figuratively, transitive) To cause (something) to be prominent or stand out.
7. (figuratively, obsolete, transitive) To make (speech, etc.) unduly bombastic or grand.

Noun

Synonym of boss (“a knob or projection”).

Synonyms

stamp

boss

chase

engrave

send back

shun

spurn

drive away

embossment

tool

enchase

withhold

disapprove of

expel

look askance at

chase away

condemn

decline

imprint

mint

disagree

disallow

rebuke

refuse

reject

relay

disapprove

repel

disavow

repulse

resend

dismiss

relief carving

carve

fail

fall down

fall through

goffer

impress

miscarry

miss

relief

relievo

rilievo

stand out

strike

wash up

carve in relief

drop through

finish carving of engraving

Translations

repousser

coniare

prägen

emboutir

embouter

repujar

estamper

meißeln

ausmeißeln

refusar

ausfeilen

ausmerzen

ausschlagen

ausstechen

abweisen

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɪmˈbɒs/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: embossen

Cognate with French: embosser

In summary

PIE word
*h₁én
The verb is derived from Late Middle English embossen, embosen, embocen (“to be bloated; to bulge; to cause to bulge; to ornament in relief, emboss”) [and other forms], from Old French embocer (modern French embosser), from em- (a variant of en- (prefix meaning ‘in, into’)) + boce (“swelling”) (from Vulgar Latin *bottia (“a bump”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *bautan (“to beat”), from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to beat; to bump, knock; to push”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewd- (“to hit, strike”)) + -er (suffix forming verbs). The English word is analysable as em- (prefix meaning ‘in, into’) + boss (“bump, lump, protuberance”).
The noun is derived from the verb.