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Synonyms

encrustation

American  
[en-kruh-stey-shuhn] / ˌɛn krʌˈsteɪ ʃən /
Also incrustation

noun

  1. an encrusting or being encrusted.

  2. a crust or coat of anything on the surface of a body; covering, coating, or scale.

  3. the inlaying or addition of enriching materials on or to a surface or an object.

  4. the enriching materials inlaid on or added to a surface or an object.


Etymology

Origin of encrustation

First recorded in 1650–60 for incrustation, later for encrustation, encrust + -ation

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Mostly, Hynes called him O’Casey, but a few times she called him Sean, and the warmth of that familiarity melted away any sepia encrustation that has accumulated around his name.

From New York Times Oct. 4, 2023

This encrustation can speed up corrosion and obscure a ship’s appearance over time, making it harder to analyze the degradation of the shipwreck.

From Scientific American Nov. 11, 2021

Jaunty, lumpy monoliths built from an encrustation of sparkly glass beads by Mexican artist Raúl de Nieves are like humanoid stalagmites discovered deep within Plato’s cave.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 12, 2019

On trips to Death Valley, Douglas has examined the microbial life that can be found in the flats, where millennia of flooding and evaporation have left an encrustation of salt.

From The New Yorker Nov. 6, 2016

Ever since the Hunley was placed in this tank, researchers and scientists have been painstakingly cleaning a century-and-a-half of sand, sediment, corrosion, and encrustation from the world’s first successful combat submarine.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

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