[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/overlying/)

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# overlying

adjective; verb form (present participle of overlie)

«overlying» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Lying on top of something else; covering it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overlying/#m1)
2. (formal) Being more noticeable or on the surface, over a deeper thing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overlying/#m2)

### In the lessons

A science and geography word: rock layers lie one on another, and the overlying layer is usually younger than the one below it. In medicine, the overlying skin is the skin on top of a lump or bone.

### Examples

- The overlying rock is younger than the rock beneath it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overlying/#x1)
- The overlying layer of soil was full of worms. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overlying/#x2)
- Snow formed an overlying blanket on the ice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overlying/#x3)
- The doctor looked at the overlying skin. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overlying/#x4)
- Fossils in the overlying layers are more recent. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overlying/#x5)
- The overlying clay keeps the water trapped underground. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overlying/#x6)

### Note

From «overlie» (overlie, overlies, overlay, overlain, overlying) — a rare verb. Trap: «overlay» is both the past of overlie and a different verb meaning to cover with a layer. Mostly used as an adjective before a noun.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «overlying» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/overlying/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«overlying» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/overlying.html) on Mova free.

