Incrust

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cover an object with a hard layer or crust, often formed naturally or by deposition
2. To form a crust or hard covering on a surface, giving it a rough or hardened appearance
3. To cause an outer layer to develop on a surface, typically by accumulation of material or coating

Etymology: "Incrust" is built from the prefix "in-" and the noun "crust," and its meaning follows directly from those parts. "In-" here carries the sense of putting something into or onto a thing, so to incrust is to lay a crust onto a surface, or to cover it with a hard layer until it takes on a rough, hardened look. The base word "crust" comes from Latin "crusta," meaning a hard outer shell or rind, and it entered English through Old French. The same root gave English "crust" its original sense of the hard outer layer of bread and of earth, which explains why the verb centres on a coating that forms over a surface rather than anything softer or thinner.

Synonyms: encrust, coat