inlay

[ verb in-ley, in-ley; noun in-ley ]

/ verb ˈɪnˌleɪ, ˌɪnˈleɪ; noun ˈɪnˌleɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR inlay ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), in·laid, in·lay·ing.

to decorate (an object) with layers of fine materials set in its surface: to inlay a chest with lighter wood.

to insert or apply (layers of fine materials) in the surface of an object: to inlay marble in a tabletop.

Horticulture. to place (a fitted scion) into a prepared stock, as in a method of grafting.

noun

inlaid work.

a layer of fine material inserted in something else, especially for ornament.

a design or decoration made by inlaying.

Dentistry. a filling of metal, porcelain, or the like, that is first shaped to fit a cavity and then cemented into it.

Horticulture. inlay graft.

the act or process of inlaying.

Nearby words

inland revenue, inland sea, inlander, inlaut, inlaw, inlay, inlay graft, inlet, inlier, inline, inly

Origin of inlay

First recorded in 1590–1600; in-¹ + lay¹

Related forms

in·lay·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for inlay

He was exceedingly fond of inlay, and his designs called for inlaid panels, borders, and festoons.
Furnishing the Home of Good Taste|Lucy Abbot Throop
Chairs were broad in the seat and high of back with wide splats, often decorated with inlay, in the early part of the period.
Furnishing the Home of Good Taste|Lucy Abbot Throop
There are, as has been pointed out, two very distinct forms of inlay, one of which is possibly the outcome of the other.
Jewellery|H. Clifford Smith,
The various portions of inlay are then cut from different veneers of the desired colour and fitted into their places.
Intarsia and Marquetry|F. Hamilton Jackson

To make a rapid survey we must commence with the art of inlay.
Chats on Old Clocks|Arthur Hayden

British Dictionary definitions for inlay

inlay

verb (ɪnˈleɪ) -lays, -laying or -laid (tr)

to decorate (an article, esp of furniture, or a surface) by inserting pieces of wood, ivory, etc, into prepared slots in the surface

noun (ˈɪnˌleɪ)

dentistry a filling, made of gold, porcelain, etc, inserted into a cavity and held in position by cement

decoration made by inlaying

an inlaid article, surface, etc

Derived Forms

inlayer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for inlay

inlay

[ ĭn′lā′, ĭn-lā′ ]

n.

A solid filling, as of gold or porcelain, fitted to a cavity in a tooth and cemented into place.

A graft of bone, skin, or other tissue.

An orthomechanical device inserted into a shoe.