ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hatching

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈhætʃɪŋ// UK //hˈætʃɪŋ// hatch·ing

n. the moment when a baby bird, fish, or insect comes out of its egg. In art, it also means a way of drawing using many small, parallel lines to create shading.

n. the process of an organism emerging from an egg; alternatively, an artistic technique involving the use of fine parallel lines to create tonal or shading effects.


SIMPLE

We watched the hatching of the baby sea turtles on the beach.

CONTEXTUAL

The artist used delicate hatching to create a sense of depth and shadow in the portrait's background.

COMPLEX

While the zoologist documented the synchronized hatching of the clutch, the illustrator nearby captured the scene using cross-hatching to emphasize the rugged texture of the nest.

Synonyms
Usage

Uncountable when referring to the artistic technique; countable when referring to specific biological events.

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