imbricate

1 of 2

adjective

im·​bri·​cate ˈim-bri-kət 

: lying lapped over each other in regular order

imbricate scales

imbricate

2 of 2

verb

im·​bri·​cate ˈim-brə-ˌkāt 

imbricated; imbricating

transitive verb

: overlap

especially : to overlap like roof tiles

Did you know?

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."

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Virtuosity’s sentence-making is thickened, intricate, imbricated, often dazzling. —Cynthia Ozick, New York Times, 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, 31 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Late Latin imbricatus, past participle of imbricare to cover with pantiles, from Latin imbric-, imbrex pantile, from imbr-, imber rain; akin to Greek ombros rain

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1610, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1784, in the meaning defined above

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