etch vs chip at

etch and chip at both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
etch	No	No	Yes	No
chip at	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, chip at is a hypernym of etch; that is, chip at is a word with a broader meaning than etch:

Other hypernyms of etch include carve.

etch (verb)	chip at (verb)
selectively dissolve the surface of (a semiconductor or printed circuit) with a solvent, laser, or stream of electrons	engrave or cut by chipping away at a surface
carve or cut a design or letters into
make an etching of
carve or cut into a block used for printing or print from such a block
cause to stand out or be clearly defined or visible