imbricate

adjective

im·bri·cate | \ ˈim-bri-kət

Definition of imbricate

(Entry 1 of 2)

: lying lapped over each other in regular order imbricate scales

imbricate

verb

im·bri·cate | \ ˈim-brə-ˌkāt

imbricated; imbricating

Definition of imbricate (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: overlap especially : to overlap like roof tiles

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Did You Know?

Adjective

The ancient Romans knew how to keep the interior of their villas dry when it rained. They covered their roofs with overlapping curved tiles so the "imber" (Latin for pelting rain or "rain shower") couldn't seep in. The tiles were, in effect, "rain tiles," so the Romans called them "imbrices" (singular "imbrex"). The verb for installing the tiles was "imbricare," and English speakers used its past participle - "imbricatus" - to create "imbricate," which was first used as adjective meaning "overlapping (like roof tiles)" and later became a verb meaning "to overlap."

Examples of imbricate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Virtuosity’s sentence-making is thickened, intricate, imbricated, often dazzling. — Cynthia Ozick, New York Times, "One Last Book From a Virtuoso of the Short Story," 14 May 2018 But in re-writing those real events, embedding a creative vision of the past in a contemporary fiction, novelists reveal how history is continually imbricated into the texture of our world. — Josephine Livingstone, New Republic, "There’s a New Literary Celebrity in Town, and His Name Is Baruch Spinoza," 31 May 2017

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imbricate

Definition of imbricate

Did You Know?

Examples of imbricate in a Sentence

First Known Use of imbricate

History and Etymology for imbricate

imbricate

Definition of imbricate

Did You Know?

Examples of imbricate in a Sentence

First Known Use of imbricate

History and Etymology for imbricate

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