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Dictionary Language resources

intarsia

Syllabification: (in·tar·si·a)

Pronunciation: /inˈtärsēə/

Definition of intarsia

noun

[often as modifier]

1a method of knitting with a number of colors, in which a separate length or ball of yarn is used for each area of color (as opposed to different yarns being carried at the back of the work):an intarsia design

2an elaborate form of marquetry using inlays in wood, especially as practiced in 15th-century Italy.
similar inlaid work in stone, metal, or glass.

Origin:

from Italian intarsio; intarsia (sense 2) superseding earlier tarsia (from Italian, 'marquetry'); the knitting term dates from the mid 19th century