overlay

overlay
overlay, superpose, superimpose, appliqué can all mean to add one thing to another by placing the former upon or over the latter.
Overlay usually implies covering with another material or substance, sometimes thinly (as with a wash, glaze, or coat)
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plated silver is often a white metal overlaid with silver

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or sometimes thickly (as by encrusting, veneering, or plastering)
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a brick wall overlaid with stucco

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In extended use overlay usually implies accretions or additions that conceal or encumber the original thing or smother and stifle whatever there is of life in it
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the ancient world had its own complexities, but it was not, like ours, heavily overlaid with the debris of speculative systems— Buchan

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ages of fierceness have overlaid what is naturally kindly in the dispositions of ordinary men and women— Russell

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Superpose and superimpose are not always clearly distinguished, especially when they imply a putting of one thing on top of another, thereby extending the height of the original mass; thus, strata are layers of rock successively built up by sedimentary deposits, each layer being superimposed or superposed on the one previously formed.
Superpose, however, is more often chosen when relative position only is indicated, and superimpose when the thing added rests upon or is supported by the original thing; thus, superposed columns do not necessarily have the columns of the lower row for their respective bases, but superimposed columns do; an overtone is strictly a superposed tone. Superpose is also the technical term when dealing with light rays or other energy waves that occupy the same position without destroying each other or losing their identities
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upon the large and general motion of the glacier, smaller motions are superposedTyndall

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originally they [two bright spots] were superposed on each other— Darrow

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Superimpose often, especially in extended use, carries the implications of imposition or the addition of something extraneous and unintegrated
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his symbolism is too often something superimposedBentley

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Appliqué basically implies an ornamenting with pieces, usually of contrasting material, that are cut or shaped and applied (as by sewing or pasting); the term is used primarily in reference to textile ornamentation
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appliqué a satin blouse with wool of the same color

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In extended use appliqué suggests overlaying with something obviously added and forming a pattern
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never taking his eyes off the pine trees, appliquéd against the blue water— Cather

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footnotes have been appliquéd to books that would have been better off without this factitious decoration— D. C. Smith

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New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.

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  • Overlay — may refer to: Overlay architecture, term used to describe ‘event architecture’ and relates to the temporary elements that supplement existing buildings and infrastructure to enable the operation of major sporting events or festivals. Overlay… …   Wikipedia

  • Overlay — bezeichnet einen Netzwerktyp, siehe Overlay Netzwerk eine Einlagefüllung zur Versorgung eines Zahns. Ähnlich wie ein Inlay, nur mit zusätzlicher Überkuppelung der Zahnaussenfläche. Techniken um Videos auf Computermonitoren anzeigen zu können,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • overlay — Ⅰ. overlay UK US /ˌəʊvəˈleɪ/ verb [T] (overlaying, overlaid, overlaid) ► to cover something with a layer of something else: »Sticky tracing paper overlaid on street maps lets travelers chart their course again and again. overlay sth with sth »By… …   Financial and business terms

  • overlay — overlay, overlie 1. The addition of the prefix over makes both verbs transitive (i.e. take an object) and therefore they do not entirely correspond to the grammatical functions of lay and lie. The past tense and past participle of overlay is… …   Modern English usage

  • Overlay — O ver*lay , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Overlaid}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Overlaying}.] 1. To lay, or spread, something over or across; hence, to cover; to overwhelm; to press excessively upon. [1913 Webster] When any country is overlaid by the multitude… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Overlay —   [dt. »Überlagerung«], ein Verfahren, bestimmte Bereiche des Arbeitsspeichers (z. B. Teile eines Programms oder einer Datei) geschlossen in eine Datei, eine sog. Overlay Datei, auszulagern.   Die Overlay Technik wurde ursprünglich entwickelt, um …   Universal-Lexikon

  • overlay — [ō΄vər lā′; ] also, and for n.always [, ō′vər lā΄] vt. overlaid, overlaying 1. to lay or spread over 2. to cover or overspread, as with a decorative layer of something 3. Printing to place an overlay upon n. 1. anything laid over another thing;… …   English World dictionary

  • Overlay — O ver*lay , n. 1. A covering. Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster] 2. (Printing) A piece of paper pasted upon the tympan sheet to improve the impression by making it stronger at a particular place. [1913 Webster] 3. (Computers) A subroutine which… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • overlay — index overcome (overwhelm), overlap Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • overlay — (v.) to cover the surface of (something), c.1300, from OVER (Cf. over) + LAY (Cf. lay). There also was an overlie (late 12c.), but it had been merged into this word by 18c. The noun in the printing sense is attested from 1824; meaning transparent …   Etymology dictionary

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