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emboss

Pronunciation: /ɪmˈbɒs/

The English word “emboss” has 15 meanings listed here.

verb

  1. To cause (something) to stick out or swell; to extrude; also, to cause (someone or something) to be covered in swellings.
  2. To make (a design on a coin, an ornament on an object, etc.) stand out from a surface.
  3. To represent (a subject) on an object in relief; also, of a design or subject: to stand out on (an object) in relief.
  4. To decorate or mark (something) with a design or symbol in relief.
  5. To decorate (something) with bosses (“ornamental convex protuberances”); to boss; hence, to decorate (something) richly.
  6. To cause (something) to be prominent or stand out.
  7. To make (speech, etc.) unduly bombastic or grand.
  8. Of a hunted animal: to take shelter in a forest or wood.
  9. To drive (a hunted animal) to exhaustion by chasing it; to exhaust; hence, to make (a hunted animal) foam at the mouth due to exhaustion from being chased.
  10. To cause (an animal's body, a person's mouth, etc.) to be covered with foam.
  11. To cause (someone, their heart or soul, etc.) to become extremely fatigued; to exhaust.
  12. Of a person: to foam at the mouth; also (figurative), to be furious, to rage.
  13. To enclose or suit (a person) in armour.
  14. To enclose or surround (someone or something).

noun

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

Etymology

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”) + -er (suffix forming verbs); boce (“swelling”) is derived from Vulgar Latin *bottia (“a…

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