The Collaborative International Dictionary
Overlie \O`ver*lie"\, v. t. [imp. Overlay; p. p. Overlain;
p. pr. & vb. n. Overlying.]
To lie over or upon; specifically, to suffocate by lying
upon; as, to overlie an infant.
--Quain.
A woman by negligence overlieth her child in her
sleeping.
--Chaucer.
Wiktionary
vb. (past participle of overlie English)
WordNet
See overlie
Usage examples of "overlain".
The precious gift of consciousness and subtle perception is thus overlain by distrust, doubt, fear and the entire spectrum of human weakness.
Birds even have local accents overlain on the basic language patterns with which they are born.
The village Speaker said I must have overlain her, and wouldn't take my plea against Lem.
He cranes his neck sideways till he can look down to where the thick green carpet is overlain by a white rug.
The scents of wood and hay are overlain with the girls' perfumes and the heady scent of cannabis.
Any smell from the jumble of shoes in the bottom of the wardrobe is overlain by the scent of the rose petals strewn among them.
The warm, humid smell of a used bathroom is overlain with tobacco smoke.
The scent of joss-sticks is overlain with spices which are reminiscent of Sam's takeaways.
On an island to which clung only a ragged bush or twoall that could find root-room among the rockswas a tower of stone so dark as to make one believe that the very passing of time itself had overlain it with a sable cloak.
Room commander, then almost snatched the folded chart overlain with its sheet of developed infra-red film.