superimposed

[ soo-per-im-pohzd ]

adjective

1. being or relating to something that is placed over something else, usually characterized by some degree of transparency so that both the background and foreground objects are visible:

   The title credits appeared over the dusky opening scene in superimposed white text.

2. Geology. (of a stream or drainage system) having a course not adjusted to the structure of the rocks presently undergoing erosion but determined instead by a prior erosion cycle or by formerly overlying rocks or sediments.
3. Botany. (of a plant part) growing one over another, but separately, as in layers:

   The superimposed whorls of petals give these begonia blossoms a roselike appearance.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of superimpose.

Word History and Origins

Origin of superimposed¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; superimpose + -ed ²

Example Sentences

A unique, new line of MLB hats for fans displays a team’s uniform logo with the same team’s hat logo superimposed on top of it in the center.

From Los Angeles Times

With news cameras in southern Gaza lingering on a knot of masked fighters, a Hebrew-language banner was clearly visible behind them, superimposed with the prime minister’s face.

From Los Angeles Times

Cara Hunter of the Social Democratic and Labour Party was targeted in a deepfake video three years ago, when her face was digitally superimposed on to the face of another person.

From BBC

The result was fully in character, photographed in murky black-and-white for a worldwide online audience, and layered with Lynchian imagery and juxtapositions: smoke, fire, strange objects and dead animals superimposed over the band.

From Los Angeles Times

Chirality in molecules means they have a specific orientation in space such that the mirror image of the molecule in question cannot be perfectly superimposed on the original.

From Salon