[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/incise/)

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# incise

verb (incise, incises, incised, incising)

«incise» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (formal) To cut carefully into a surface, such as stone, wood or skin. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/incise/#m1)
2. To carve a pattern or letters into something. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/incise/#m2)

### 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 →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/incise/#x1)
- The names were incised in the stone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/incise/#x2)
- The surgeon incised the skin carefully. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/incise/#x3)
- Use a cocktail stick to incise lines in the clay. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/incise/#x4)
- The carver incised a fish shape on the wood. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/incise/#x5)

### 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).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «incise» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/incise/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«incise» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/incise.html) on Mova free.