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inlaid

inlaid

1 6.1
An object that has small pieces of another material set into its surface in a pattern
  • adjective
  • /ɪnˈleɪd/
translation icon : incrustado
  • Once a week, they ate lunch together in the park in front of the building, where there were concrete tables with inlaid chessboards.
  • inlaid marble
  • inlaid wood
  • inlaid eyes

And the jewelry is magnificent with inlaid garnet croissant work.

Examples

  • I'm the proud owner of this ring, which is inlaid with both meteorite and T Rex bone.

  • Inlaid marble (opus sectile) had long been favored in Constantinople for luxurious floor pavements.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Look at the parquet floors that are all inlaid and original.

  • Their inlaid design was of the finest craftsmanship.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The inlaid maple panels fit the music room as if they had been made for it.

    Blog text (9)
  • So we have this beautiful silver gilt with niello inlaid all over it like this.

  • And the jewelry is magnificent with inlaid garnet croissant work.

  • One has an inlaid pearl setting off an ivory cameo of the Last Supper.

    Blog text (31)
  • The artist created a stunning tabletop with an inlaid mosaic of different colors and materials.

  • The jewelry box had an inlaid design that shimmered in the light.

Synonyms

tessellated
vsinlaid
1 8.4

A surface covered with small shapes like tiles that fit closely together

places separate material pieces into a surface rather than only tiny fitted tiles
patterned
vsinlaid
1 3.4

Covered with a repeated design of lines, shapes, or colors

creates designs by placing pieces into the surface rather than only printed repeats
inwrought
vsinlaid
  • Archaic
9.9

Having a decorative pattern woven into cloth or fabric

uses added material pieces set into the surface not woven work
decorated
vsinlaid
2.7

Covered with small things that make something look more beautiful

specifically uses set-in material pieces to form decoration not general trimming

Antonyms

6 5.1

Plain in appearance with no decoration

How Decorated

ornate
  • Literature
26 7.0
inlaid
1 6.1
decorated
2.7
plain
208 1.0

Surface Forms

inlaid positive

Morphology

inlaid = laid (semi-transparent) = in + lay + laid

The prefix 'in-' suggests 'into' or 'inside', but the specific meaning of decorative embedding is not immediately obvious.

Etymology

Inlaid comes from the prefix in- meaning 'into' and the verb lay, which means 'to put'. So something inlaid has pieces 'laid into' its surface as decoration.