French Conversation · Level 63
76 words
French word
imbriquer
Pronunciation
IPA/ɛ̃bʁike/
Meaning
- verbnest
Example
Pour gagner de la place, j'imbrique les bols dans le placard.
To save space, I nest the bowls in the cupboard.
More examples
Pour le déménagement, j'ai imbriqué plusieurs boîtes pour gagner de la place.
For the move, I nested several boxes to save space.
Core concept
Several parts slide partly over one another and form a compact whole.
Common phrases
imbriquer des bols
nest bowls
imbriquer des boîtes
nest boxes
imbriquer les verres
nest the glasses
Similar words
emboîter: To fit one object snugly inside another.
insérer: To place an object into a gap or hole.
chevaucher: To overlap partly in space or time.
Definition in French
Faire se chevaucher ou s'emboîter des éléments en les insérant les uns dans les autres.
Word origin
French imbriquer comes from Latin imbricare, meaning to cover with roof tiles, from imbrex, a tile whose overlapping arrangement gives the word its central image.
Usage tips
- Imbriquer is transitive and takes a direct object, as in imbriquer les bols; the pronominal form s'imbriquer describes parts fitting into one another.