A fine scraping tool or engraving implement used in art, particularly in printmaking and engraving techniques.
From French 'grattoir,' derived from 'gratter' (to scrape or grate), with the agent noun suffix '-oir.' Borrowed into English from French artistic and technical vocabulary in the 1800s.
In printmaking, the grattoir is used to create fine lines by scraping away ink or metal—it's the opposite of most tools that add material, making it a subtractive art tool.
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