intarsia

[ in-tahr-see-uh ]

/ ɪnˈtɑr si ə /

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noun

an art or technique of decorating a surface with inlaid patterns, especially of wood mosaic, developed during the Renaissance.

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Also tarsia.

Origin of intarsia

1860–65; alteration (influenced by Italian tarsia) of Italian intarsio, derivative of intarsiare to inlay, equivalent to in-in-² + tarsiare<Arabic tarṣīʿ an inlay, incrustation; see tarsia

OTHER WORDS FROM intarsia

in·tar·si·ate

[in-tahr-see-eyt, -it], /ɪnˈtɑr siˌeɪt, -ɪt/, adjective

Words nearby intarsia

intake, intake manifold, intake valve, Intal, intangible, intarsia, intarsist, int. cib., integer, integers, integer vitae

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use intarsia in a sentence

The choir is a five-sided apse, round which are the canons' stalls of good intarsia work.
Cathedral Cities of Italy|William Wiehe Collins
The open stalls in the choir have some extremely good intarsia work.
Cathedral Cities of Italy|William Wiehe Collins
The intarsia doors of the palace at Urbino are among the most famous examples of this form of decoration.
The Decoration of Houses|Edith Wharton
At the south end is one of the finest examples of intarsia, or inlaid wood-work, in Italy.
Cathedral Cities of Italy|William Wiehe Collins

The choir stalls are very finely carved and decorated with superb intarsia work.
Cathedral Cities of Italy|William Wiehe Collins

British Dictionary definitions for intarsia

intarsia

tarsia

/ (ɪnˈtɑːsɪə) /

noun

a decorative or pictorial mosaic of inlaid wood or sometimes ivory of a style developed in the Italian Renaissance and used esp on wooden wall panels

the art or practice of making such mosaics

(in knitting) an individually worked motif

Word Origin for intarsia

C19: changed from Italian intarsio

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