overlie

From Middle English overlien, overliggen, equivalent to over- +‎ lie (“to be reclined”). Compare West Frisian oerlizze, German überliegen, Danish overligge, Swedish överligga, Norwegian overligge.

• IPA^(key): /ˌoʊvɚˈlaɪ/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Audio (US):

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• Hyphenation: over‧lie
• Rhymes: -aɪ

overlie (third-person singular simple present overlies, present participle overlying, simple past overlay, past participle overlain)

1. To lie over or upon

   The new sediment layers overlie the older rock formations.

2. (transitive) To suffocate by lying upon

• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “overlie”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “overlie”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

• lie over, relievo