imbricate chiefly Zoology & Botany
■ verb 'ɪmbrɪkeɪt [usu. as adjective imbricated ] arrange in an overlapping manner like roof tiles.
■ adjective 'ɪmbrɪkət (of scales, sepals, etc.) having adjacent edges overlapping. Compare with valvate .
Derivatives
imbrication noun
Origin
C17 (in the sense 'shaped like a pantile'): from L. imbricat- , imbricare 'cover with roof tiles'.