marquetry

American  

[mahr-ki-tree] / ˈmɑr kɪ tri /

Also marqueterie

noun

marquetries plural

1. inlaid work of variously colored woods or other materials, especially in furniture.

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marquetry British  

/ ˈmɑːkɪtrɪ /

noun

1. a pattern of inlaid veneers of wood, brass, ivory, etc, fitted together to form a picture or design, used chiefly as ornamentation in furniture Compare parquetry

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• marquetries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of marquetry

1555–65; < Middle French marqueterie inlaid work, equivalent to marquet ( er ) to speckle, spot, inlay (literally, make marks < Germanic; see mark ¹) + -erie -ery

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

marquetry

These days, Bill enjoys the quiet life in Woodbridge, volunteering at the Long Shed community centre and making marquetry bookmarks and Viking chess boards.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

A thrift-store find some years later righted things: an Art Deco wonder with a ceramic face housed in wood marquetry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

A massive Ruhlmann sideboard, first made in 1920, is inlaid with an ivory marquetry pattern that suggests—to me, least—soap bubbles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025

Blackwell also began exploring the art of marquetry, creating works that often feature inlaid patterns of trees, mushrooms and geometric shapes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2024

They installed me at the marquetry table with some harmless dummy documents to work on—finding the best connections between French rail and bus timetables and making a list of them in German.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein