Main Entry:

mar·que·try

Variant(s):

also mar·que·terie \ˈmär-kə-trē\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle French marqueterie, from marqueter to checker, inlay, from marque mark

Date:

1563

: decorative work in which elaborate patterns are formed by the insertion of pieces of material (as wood, shell, or ivory) into a wood veneer that is then applied to a surface (as of a piece of furniture)

[marquetry illustration]