imbricate

• POS: Adjective, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: im=bri=cate

CIDE DICTIONARY

imbricate, a. [L. imbricatus, p. p. of imbricare to cover with tiles, to form like a gutter tile, fr. imbrex, -icis, a hollow tile, gutter tile, fr. imber rain.].

•  Bent and hollowed like a roof or gutter tile.  [1913 Webster]
•  Lying over each other in regular order, so as to “break joints,” like tiles or shingles on a roof, the scales on the leaf buds of plants and the cups of some acorns, or the scales of fishes; overlapping each other at the margins, as leaves in æstivation.  [1913 Webster]
•  In decorative art: Having scales lapping one over the other, or a representation of such scales; as, an imbricated surface; an imbricated pattern.  [1913 Webster]

imbricate, v. t. 

 To lay in order, one lapping over another, so as to form an imbricated surface.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

imbricate, v. & adj.
--v.tr. & intr. arrange (leaves, the scales of a fish, etc.), or be arranged, so as to overlap like roof-tiles.
--adj. having scales etc. arranged in this way.

Derivative

imbrication n.

Etymology

L imbricare imbricat- cover with rain-tiles f. imbrex -icis rain-tile f. imber shower