This verb for an artistic process applying acid to metal comes from the Dutch, & many Dutch masters were good at it
When Sennacherib 
was king of Assyria, many Jews were slain and left .... Next he immerses the 
copper plate in an acid bath which "bites," or grooves, the metal... [DOC] [TLE] Lithtex Northwest : Resources & Support : Glossary Of Terms [PAR] An acid-proof protective coating applied to metal plates prior to etching designs 
thereon.