inlay
/ˈɪn.leɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɪn.leɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)in-ˈlā ˈin-ˌlā/ (ame, mw) · /ˌɪnˈleɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪnˈleɪ/ (ame, ipa)
inlay — noun
- inlaysingular
- inlaysplural
1. a design or picture set into the flat top of furniture, a box, or another wooden
a design or picture set into the flat top of furniture, a box, or another wooden object, where small shaped pieces of wood, metal, shell, or stone are fitted level with the surrounding surface.
The old jewellery box had a delicate flower inlay made from mother-of-pearl.
noun: [material] inlay
Constanza ran her fingers over the silver inlay around the edge of the wooden tray.
collocation: [material] inlay around [object]
The guitar's neck was decorated with small inlays of abalone shell shaped like stars.
Karim's grandfather made chess boards with dark walnut inlay between the lighter squares.
Nila polished her great-aunt's writing desk, careful not to scratch the brass inlay around the drawer.
文法句型
inlay of [material]
[material] inlay
用法筆記
Often appears as 'mother-of-pearl inlay', 'wood inlay', or 'metal inlay' — the material doing the decoration usually comes before the word.
常見錯誤
2. in dentistry, a small piece of gold, porcelain, or similar hard material, shaped
in dentistry, a small piece of gold, porcelain, or similar hard material, shaped by a dentist so it matches the inside of a hole in your tooth, then fixed there with cement to mend the damage.
Otis chose a porcelain inlay because it matched the natural colour of his tooth.
collocation: [material] inlay
The dentist took an impression of Sade's molar before making the gold inlay.
Brooke's dentist warned her that an inlay would cost three times more than a normal filling.
Adina's old inlay fell out while she was eating toffee at the cinema.
文法句型
a [material] inlay
fit an inlay
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is countable and always refers to a single dental piece. Subject is typically a dentist (when fitting) or a patient/tooth (when receiving).
常見錯誤
inlay — verb
- inlaypresent simple I / you / we / they
- inlayshe / she / it
- inlaidpast simple
- inlaying-ing form
1. to decorate the top of a wooden, metal, or stone object by cutting small spaces
to decorate the top of a wooden, metal, or stone object by cutting small spaces into it and fitting pieces of a different material so that everything sits at one even level.
Wei's workshop inlays small wooden boxes with strips of brightly coloured wood.
pattern: inlay [object] with [material]
The lid of the chest was inlaid with mother-of-pearl flowers and silver leaves.
common passive: be inlaid with [material]
Paul learned how to inlay guitar necks with thin pieces of abalone shell.
Élise's grandmother inlaid the kitchen table with tiny blue tiles from Lisbon.
The jeweller in Jaipur had inlaid tiny diamonds along the gold ring's outer edge.
文法句型
inlay [object] with [material]
[material] inlaid in/into [object]
inlaid with [material]
用法筆記
Frequently passive — 'be inlaid with X' is the most common form. The past tense and past participle are both 'inlaid', not 'inlayed'.