INLAY

I. transitive verb (inlaid; ~ing) Date: 1596 1. to set into a surface or ground material, to adorn with insertions, to insert (as a color plate) into a mat or other reinforcement, to rub, beat, or fuse (as wire) into an incision in metal, wood, or stone, ~er noun II. noun Date: 1667 inlaid work or a decorative inlaid pattern, a tooth filling shaped to fit a cavity and then cemented into place