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Meaning & use

hatch mark

noun·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ˈhætʃ mɑːk/
US/ˈhætʃ mɑːrk/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    One of a set of short parallel lines drawn closely together to add shading or texture to a drawing.

    Grammar: Usually plural in art: she added hatch marks for shadow.

    Patterns

    • hatch marks on something
    • add hatch marks

    The artist used fine hatch marks to shade the shadow under the tree.

    Dense hatch marks make that part of the drawing look darker.

    Maps sometimes use hatch marks to show steep slopes.

  2. nouncountable

    A short line on a ruler, gauge or scale that shows a unit of measurement.

    Grammar: Used for marks on a scale: read the hatch mark nearest the water level.

    Patterns

    • hatch marks on a ruler
    • count the hatch marks

    Each hatch mark on the ruler stands for one millimeter.

    The water rose past the third hatch mark on the measuring jug.

    He counted the hatch marks to calculate the distance.

  3. nouncountableinformal

    A short line used to keep a tally, often grouped in fives.

    Grammar: Usually plural when counting.

    Patterns

    • make a hatch mark

    She made a hatch mark on the board for every correct answer.

    The prisoner in the story scratched a hatch mark on the wall each day.

Word forms

pluralhatch marks

Common combinations

add hatch marks
Add hatch marks to the drawing for shadow.
use hatch marks
Map makers use hatch marks to show hills.
fine hatch marks
The engraving was made with fine hatch marks.
count the hatch marks
Count the hatch marks to find the total.
a row of hatch marks
A row of hatch marks ran along the edge of the rule.

Synonyms and how they differ

tally mark
A tally mark is specifically for counting, while hatch mark also covers shading and scale lines.
hatching
Hatching is the technique or the pattern of many lines, while a hatch mark is one single line.
tick
A tick is a single short line, often used to check items off, and is the more common British word.
graduation
A graduation is a more technical word for a line on a measuring scale.

Word family

hatch verb
To draw closely spaced parallel lines for shading.
hatching noun
A set of such lines.
crosshatch verb
To shade with two sets of lines crossing each other.
hatched adjective
Marked with parallel lines.

Commonly confused: hatch mark or hatchet mark?

hatch mark vs hatchet mark

A hatchet mark is a cut made by a small axe, not a drawn line.

Practice

The artist added several ____ to show where the shadow fell on the sketch.

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