verb (used with object)
- to raise or represent (surface designs) in relief.
- to decorate (a surface) with raised ornament.
- Metalworking. to raise a design on (a blank) with dies of similar pattern, one the negative of the other.Compare coin(def 10).
- to cause to bulge out; make protuberant.
verb
- to mould or carve (a decoration or design) on (a surface) so that it is raised above the surface in low relief
- to cause to bulge; make protrude
late 14c., from Old French *embocer (cf. embocieure “boss, stud, buckle”), from em- (see en- (1)) + boce “knoblike mass” (see boss (n.2)). Related: Embossed; embossing.