encrustation

[ en-kruh-stey-shuhn ]

noun

1. an encrusting or being encrusted.
2. a crust or coat of anything on the surface of a body; covering, coating, or scale.
3. the inlaying or addition of enriching materials on or to a surface or an object.
4. the enriching materials inlaid on or added to a surface or an object.

Word History and Origins

Origin of encrustation¹

First recorded in 1650–60 for incrustation, later for encrustation, encrust + -ation

Example Sentences

Mostly, Hynes called him O’Casey, but a few times she called him Sean, and the warmth of that familiarity melted away any sepia encrustation that has accumulated around his name.

From New York Times

“The only way is to work precisely with special magnifying glasses, removing all the small encrustations one by one,” she said.

From Seattle Times

On most of these canvases it’s like a thick encrustation of gunk.

From Washington Post

“Fall River Boiler,” a black-and-white image that he photographed in 1978 and printed a decade or so later, is a nocturne of texture and tone: feathery asbestos, gloppy encrustations, circular black holes.

From New York Times

They said the investigation revealed that 101 of the items, all covered in dirt and encrustations, were visible and identifiable in photographs found in the possession of known traffickers.

From New York Times

Related Words

• blanket
• coat
• crust
• glaze
• layer
• membrane
• patina
• sheet
• skin
• varnish
• veneer