Origin and history of gravure

"process of engraving a metal by photography," 1869, from photo- + gravure "engraving," from French, from graver (see grave (v.)) + -ure (see -ure).

method of printing by means of a rotary press, 1913, from German Rotogravur (originally, in full, Rotogravur Deutsche Tiefdrück Gesellschaft), said to blend two corporate names, Rotophot and Deutsche Photogravur A.G. Etymologically, the roots are Latin rota "wheel, roller" (see rotary) and French gravure "engraving" (see gravure). The process was used for printing photo sections of newspapers and magazines, so that the word came to be used for these (1914).