Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Cut or carved into a surface: Describes a design, inscription, or image that has been deeply and permanently cut into a hard material like stone, wood, or metal.
   • Sculpted or carved into a shape: Refers to an object, especially a statue or idol, that has been shaped by carving.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The graven letters on the ancient monument were still legible. (The carved letters on the ancient monument were still legible.)
  • The commandment forbids the worship of graven images. (The commandment forbids the worship of carved idols.)

Advanced Usage

• "Graven image": A carved statue or idol, especially one used as an object of worship. This phrase is often used in religious or historical contexts.
  • The archaeological site contained several graven images of deities.
• "Graven in stone": An idiom meaning something is permanent, unchangeable, or officially fixed. It is a metaphorical extension of the literal meaning.
  • The treaty's terms are not graven in stone; they can be renegotiated.

Variants and Related Words

• Grave (verb): To carve, cut, or sculpt a design into a hard surface. "Graven" is the archaic past participle of this verb.
• Engraved (adjective): Closely synonymous, meaning cut or carved into a surface, often with finer detail.
• Incised (adjective): Cut into a surface, often used in technical or artistic contexts.
• Sculptured (adjective): Formed or shaped by carving, often referring to three-dimensional art.

Synonyms

• Carved
• Engraved
• Etched
• Incised
• Sculpted
• Chiseled

Related Phrases

• Graven upon one's heart/memory: A literary phrase meaning something is deeply and permanently remembered or felt.
  • The lessons from that day were graven upon his heart.

Notes on Usage

• The word graven is somewhat archaic and formal. In modern English, engraved or carved are more commonly used in most contexts.
• It frequently appears in fixed phrases like "graven image" (from religious texts) and the idiom "graven in stone."
• As an adjective, it typically precedes the noun it modifies (e.g., , ).

Adjective

1. cut or impressed into a surface
   • an incised design
   • engraved invitations
2. cut into a desired shape
   • graven images
   • sculptured representations