interlace

[in-ter-leys, in-ter-leys]

See more synonyms for interlace on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), in·ter·laced, in·ter·lac·ing.

to cross one another, typically passing alternately over and under, as if woven together; intertwine: Their hands interlaced.

verb (used with object), in·ter·laced, in·ter·lac·ing.

to unite or arrange (threads, strips, parts, branches, etc.) so as to intercross one another, passing alternately over and under; intertwine.
to mingle; blend.
to diversify, as with threads woven in.
to intersperse; intermingle: She interlaced her lecture on Schubert with some of his songs.

Origin of interlace

1325–75; inter- + lace; replacing Middle English entrelacen < Middle French en-trelacer

Related formsin·ter·lac·ed·ly

[in-ter-ley-sid-lee] /ˌɪn tərˈleɪ sɪd li/, adverbin·ter·lace·ment, nounun·in·ter·laced, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for interlace

interweave, twine, entwine, alternate, mix, braid, knit, weave

Examples from the Web for interlace

Contemporary Examples of interlace

"Put your arms on your lap and interlace your fingers," she says.
8 Ways to Exercise While You Commute
Doree Shafrir
February 18, 2010

Historical Examples of interlace

It made her interlace her fingers with nervous anxiety, but it set a fire in her eyes.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
To interlace these is the crowning achievement of political science.
Statesman
Plato
To interlace a story with glass and with rope with color and roam.
Geography and Plays
Gertrude Stein
They interpenetrate, interlace, correspond with and embrace each other.
Delsarte System of Oratory
Various
Note the large fibers in the ligament, which branch and interlace.
A Practical Physiology
Albert F. Blaisdell

British Dictionary definitions for interlace

interlace

verb

to join together (patterns, fingers, etc) by crossing, as if woven; intertwine
(tr) to mingle or blend in an intricate way
(tr usually foll by with) to change the pattern of; diversify; intersperseto interlace a speech with humour

Derived Formsinterlacedly (ˌɪntəˈleɪsɪdlɪ), adverbinterlacement, 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

Word Origin and History for interlace

late 14c., from Middle French entrelacer, from entre- (see entre-) + lacer (see lace). Television sense is from 1927. Related: Interlaced; interlacing. The noun is 1904, from the verb.