overlay

C2 Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /ˌoʊvɚˈleɪ/ UK /ˌəʊ.vəˈleɪ/ See IPA manual

Freq #37729

Meanings

1

verb
To lay or spread something over the surface of something else.

They overlaid the table with a thin sheet of glass.
2

noun
A layer or covering placed on top of something else.

A transparent overlay showed the changes on the map.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to lay or spread something... cover superimpose

Word family

Forms overlaidoverlayedoverlayingoverlays

Related forms laminatelayer veneer

From Middle English overleyen, from Old English oferleċġan, from Proto-West Germanic *obarlaggjan, from Proto-Germanic *uberlagjaną, equivalent to over- + lay. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uurläze, úurlääse, Dutch overleggen, German Low German overleggen, överleggen, German überlegen, Swedish överlägga, Norwegian overlegge. Compare overlie.

overleyen Middle English oferleċġan Old English *obarlaggjan Proto-West Germanic *uberlagjaną Proto-Germanic

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Topics

Space, Position & Direction Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# overlay

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌoʊvɚˈleɪ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌəʊ.vəˈleɪ/
**Frequency rank:** 37729

## Meanings
1. To lay or spread something over the surface of something else.
2. A layer or covering placed on top of something else.

## Examples
- They overlaid the table with a thin sheet of glass.
- A transparent overlay showed the changes on the map.

## Related Forms
- laminate
- layer
- veneer

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: overleyen
- Root: oferleċġan
- Root: *obarlaggjan
- Root: *uberlagjaną

## Etymology
From Middle English overleyen, from Old English oferleċġan, from Proto-West Germanic *obarlaggjan, from Proto-Germanic *uberlagjaną, equivalent to over- + lay. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uurläze, úurlääse, Dutch overleggen, German Low German overleggen, överleggen, German überlegen, Swedish överlägga, Norwegian overlegge. Compare overlie.

## AI Etymology
Overlay is from Middle English overleyen, from Old English oferleċġan, from Proto-West Germanic *obarlaggjan, from Proto-Germanic *uberlagjaną, equivalent to over- + lay. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uurläze, úurlääse, Dutch overleggen, German Low German overleggen, överleggen, German überlegen, Swedish överlägga, Norwegian overlegge. Compare overlie. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include overleyen (Middle English), oferleċġan (Old English), *obarlaggjan (Proto-West Germanic), and *uberlagjaną (Proto-Germanic). Current senses include to lay or spread something over the surface of something else and a layer or covering placed on top of something else. The wider family includes related words such as laminate, layer, and veneer.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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