Good morning,
As part of my research on wire strainers (tools used to tighten wire in
fences) I am struggling with trying to find some generic terms to describe
the markings (patent numbers, part numbers and other information) on the
tools.
My problem is that the markings are either "raised" (embossed) or "lowered"
(engraved / stamped). The method of marking can be via casting, forging, or
hand-stamping. What I am looking for is a generic term for the "lowered"
markings. I have seen the word "debossed" as an antonym of "embossed", but
it seems to be a neologism created specifically for this purpose.
I'm trying to avoid using "cast", "forged" or "stamped" as these terms are
all about the method of marking, not about the form of the markings. And
both cast and forged markings can be either raised or lowered. This is not
just an issue for me and the wire strainers I'm working on. Zillions of
objects in museums have markings that need to be described, but I've been
unable to find a suitable term to include in the "restricted vocabulary" I
am developing for my work.
I'm quite happy to use "raised" as a simple, clear and neutral (i.e.
independent of the method or marking) term for any embossed markings, but I
would welcome any suggestions for a similar generic term for markings that
are below the surface. I've looked at various thesauri (pedant!), but so far
I haven't found any terms that really works.
Cheers, John
John Pickard
john.pick...@bigpond.com
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