intarsia

[ in-tahr-see-uh ]

/ ɪnˈtɑr si ə /

noun

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

Nearby words

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

Related formsin·tar·si·ate

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

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

Examples from the Web for intarsia

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
Of all the examples of pictorial Intarsia the most elaborate are perhaps those in the choir stalls of Sta.
Arts and Crafts Essays|Various
In some of the early Italian "intarsia" the decoration was cut into the surface of the panel piece by piece.
Illustrated History of Furniture|Frederick Litchfield
The painter, the mosaicist, and the designer for intarsia are confused in a similar manner.
Intarsia and Marquetry|F. Hamilton Jackson

The same writer mentions still more elaborate examples of pictorial "intarsia" in the choir stalls of Sta.
Illustrated History of Furniture|Frederick Litchfield

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