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layering

[ley-er-ing]
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noun
  1. the wearing of lightweight or unconstructed garments one upon the other, as to create a fashionable ensemble or to provide warmth without undue bulkiness or heaviness.
  2. Tailoring. the trimming of multiple layers of fabric at the seam allowance of a garment so as to prevent a ridge on the face of the garment when the seam is sewn.
  3. Horticulture. Also lay·er·age [ley-er-ij] /ˈleɪ ər ɪdʒ/. a method of propagating plants by causing their shoots to take root while still attached to the parent plant.
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Origin of layering

layer + -ing1

layer

[ley-er]
noun
  1. a thickness of some material laid on or spread over a surface: a layer of soot on the window sill; two layers of paint.
  2. bed; stratum: alternating layers of basalt and sandstone.
  3. a person or thing that lays: a carpet layer.
  4. a hen kept for egg production.
  5. one of several items of clothing worn one on top of the other.
  6. Horticulture.
    1. a shoot or twig that is induced to root while still attached to the living stock, as by bending and covering with soil.
    2. a plant so propagated.
  7. Ropemaking. a machine for laying rope or cable.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to make a layer of.
  2. to form or arrange in layers.
  3. to arrange or wear (clothing) in layers: You can layer this vest over a blouse or sweater.
  4. Horticulture. to propagate by layering.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to separate into or form layers.
  2. (of a garment) to permit of wearing in layers; be used in layering: Frilly blouses don't layer well.
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Origin of layer

First recorded in 1350–1400, layer is from the Middle English word leyer, legger. See lay1, -er1
Related formslay·er·a·ble, adjectivein·ter·lay·er, nounin·ter·lay·er, verb (used with object)non·lay·ered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

protectcoatblanketshroudenclosedressburyplatelayerseparateflakefacefoilsplitexfoliatestratifyveneerfoliatescaleenamel

Examples from the Web for layering

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Layering is a simple method by which plants may be multiplied.

    Your Plants

    James Sheehan

  • They can be propagated by layering, which is rather a slow method, or rapidly by seed.

    Talks about Flowers.

    M. D. Wellcome

  • The summer is the best period for layering the young shoots.

    Parsons on the Rose

    Samuel Browne Parsons

  • In nursery practice, Rotundifolia vines are trained along the ground for layering.

  • The drawback is that fewer plants can be obtained by layering than from cuttings with a given amount of wood.

British Dictionary definitions for layering

layering

noun
  1. horticulture a method of propagation that induces a shoot or branch to take root while it is still attached to the parent plant
  2. geology the banded appearance of certain igneous and metamorphic rocks, each band being of a different mineral composition
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layer

noun
  1. a thickness of some homogeneous substance, such as a stratum or a coating on a surface
  2. one of four or more levels of vegetation defined in ecological studies: the ground or moss layer, the field or herb layer, the shrub layer, and one or more tree layers
  3. a laying hen
  4. horticulture
    1. a shoot or branch rooted during layering
    2. a plant produced as a result of layering
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verb
  1. to form or make a layer of (something)
  2. to take root or cause to take root by layering
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Word Origin

C14 leyer, legger, from lay 1 + -er 1
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 layering

layer

v.

1832, from layer (n.). Related: Layered; layering.

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layer

n.

late 14c., "one who or that lays" (especially stones, "a mason"), agent noun from lay (v.). Passive sense of "that which is laid over a surface" first recorded 1610s, but because earliest English use was in cookery, this is perhaps from French liue "binding," used of a thickened sauce. Layer cake attested from 1881.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
layering in Medicine

layer

(lā′ər)
n.
  1. A single thickness of a material covering a surface or forming an overlying part or segment.
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v.
  1. To divide or form into layers.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.