imbrication

[ im-bri-key-shuhn ]

noun

1. an overlapping, as of tiles or shingles.
2. a decoration or pattern resembling this.
3. Surgery. overlapping of layers of tissue in the closure of wounds or in the correction of defects.
4. Geology. shingling.

Word History and Origins

Origin of imbrication¹

First recorded in 1640–50; imbricate + -ion

Example Sentences

The overall outcome, however, is undeniably affecting — all the more so given Ryan’s skillful mapping of the stories’ various imbrications, which become apparent in the revelatory finale.

From Washington Post

The imbrication of race and ethnicity precedes us; today, the question is how we navigate it.

From The Guardian

Pears steadily folds and refolds the texture of his narrative, loading it with more and more imbrications until it seems like the superstructure itself will collapse.

From Washington Post

That early imbrication of art and economics continues in a new exhibition, at David Zwirner’s Nineteenth Street branch, of photos from diCorcia’s ongoing series “East of Eden.”

From The New Yorker

In many places, the clasts are touching each other, and the pictures show examples of so-called imbrication - an arrangement where elongated pebbles stack like a row of toppled dominos.

From BBC