encrusting
Building surface layer
Encrusting means forming or covering with a hard outer layer.
Minerals encrust surfaces over time; dried blood encrusts a wound.
The word often describes decorative covering: a tiara encrusted with diamonds, barnacles encrusting the hull.
What encrusts typically adheres tightly and builds up gradually, whether through natural accumulation or deliberate ornamentation.
Shell-armored marine clingers
- coralMarine skeletal formation
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- biofoulingOrganism accumulation on surfaces
- oystersEdible marine mollusks
mussels · limpets · fouling · sponges · sea squirts · reef-building · polyps · crustaceans
Collected mass over time
- depositsMaterial settled or stored
- plaqueInscribed memorial tablet
- tartarHardened dental plaque
- scaleMeasure of relative size
residue · sediment · concretion · grime · calcification · mineral deposits · limescale · film
Hardened by calcium deposits
- petrifiedSolidified or fear-paralyzed
- fossilizedMineralized organic remains
- crystallizedFormed solid structure
- mineralizedInfused with inorganic compounds
lithified · vitrified · sedimentary · mineral · stalagmite · stalactite · calcium deposits · rock formation
Ornamental personal accessories
- gemstonesPolished ornamental minerals
- beadingOrnamental small-sphere work
- sequinsSmall reflective fabric ornaments
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
gilding · filigree · inlay · pavé · brooch · ornamentation · rhinestones · crystals
barnacles
Shell-armored marine clingers
- coralMarine skeletal formation
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- biofoulingOrganism accumulation on surfaces
oysters · mussels · limpets · fouling · sponges · sea squirts · reef-building · polyps · crustaceans · shellfish
accumulation
Collected mass over time
scale · residue · sediment · concretion · grime · calcification · mineral deposits · limescale · film · layer
calcified
Hardened by calcium deposits
- petrifiedSolidified or fear-paralyzed
- fossilizedMineralized organic remains
- crystallizedFormed solid structure
mineralized · lithified · vitrified · sedimentary · mineral · stalagmite · stalactite · calcium deposits · rock formation · travertine
jewelry
Ornamental personal accessories
- gemstonesPolished ornamental minerals
- beadingOrnamental small-sphere work
- sequinsSmall reflective fabric ornaments
embellishment · gilding · filigree · inlay · pavé · brooch · ornamentation · rhinestones · crystals · pearls
glaze
Thin lustrous coating
shellac · lacquer · finish · patina · layer · surface · overlay · film · frosting · icing
- seed treatmentseed coating, priming, pelleting, cold treatment, stratification
- animal traitsfur, tail, claws, teeth, wings
- coatingcoating, covering, glazing, lacquering, plating
- spongessponge, sponges, sea sponge, marine sponges, natural sponge
- seed primingsoaking, hardening
- thallus formsthallus, frond, blade, stipe, holdfast
encrustingdissolving
Passing into solution
softening · disintegrating · liquefying · melting · decomposing
crust, crusty, crustacean, encrust, encrusted, encrustation, encrusts, incrusted, incrust