What does crosshatch mean?
Crosshatch is a technique and pattern rooted in the visual arts: to crosshatch is to fill an area of a drawing with two or more sets of parallel lines laid over one another at an angle, so their intersections create a dense mesh of tone. Used chiefly by draughtsmen, etchers, and illustrators, the method allows remarkable gradations of light and shadow using only straight strokes — closer-spaced or doubled lines read as darker areas. As a noun, crosshatch denotes the resulting lattice-like pattern, which also appears on maps to indicate particular terrains and in graphic design as a texture. The word carries connotations of craft, patience, and precision, evoking traditional pen-and-ink work and old engraved prints. It remains current among artists and designers, and figuratively suggests anything woven from intersecting strands.
To mark or shade an area of a drawing with two or more sets of intersecting parallel lines.
"The engraver crosshatched the sky to suggest gathering storm clouds."
A pattern composed of intersecting sets of parallel lines, used in art, maps, and design to indicate shading or texture.
"The old ordnance survey map indicated woodland with a green crosshatch."
Before photography, engravers could conjure every gradation of light and shadow from nothing but crossed lines — crosshatch was the original pixel.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crosshatch
Crosshatch combines 'cross' with 'hatch', the latter coming through French hacher ('to cut, hatch') from Frankish *hakkjan, related to Old English heccan ('to hack'). The technique itself dates back centuries in European printmaking and drawing, and the compound term arose in English by around the early nineteenth century to describe this specific shading method. Its cognates are essentially the family of hatch-related terms borrowed into artistic vocabulary, including hatching and hatchure.
Related word forms
How crosshatch is actually used
Chiefly associated with drawing, printmaking, and technical illustration. As a noun it usually appears attributively or adjectivally ('in crosshatch', 'a crosshatch pattern') rather than being counted.
Easily confused with crosshatch
Hatch is shading with a single set of parallel lines, whereas crosshatch uses two or more overlapping sets that cross at an angle.