overlie
Sit upon something
To overlie is to lie over or upon something, covering it from above.
The word appears most often in geology, where one rock layer overlies another, and in medical contexts, where a sleeping adult overlies an infant, potentially causing suffocation.
The past tense is overlay, the past participle overlain: Sediment had overlain the fossils for millions of years.
Protect by overlaying
cap · surmount · superimpose · mantle · carpet · coat · shroud · envelop
Division into distinct levels
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- stratumHorizontal layer of material
- bedrockSolid stone underground
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
tectonics · formation · outcrop · superposition · layer · substrate · overburden · unconformity
Keep from being seen
eclipse · obscure · cloak · screen · bury · overshadow · blot out · block
Deprive of air
- suffocateKill by blocking air
- asphyxiateKill by blocking air
- crushCompress with force
- pressApply force downward
compress · stifle · co-sleeping · positional · weight · pressure · airway · obstruction
cover
Protect by overlaying
top · cap · surmount · superimpose · mantle · carpet · coat · shroud · envelop · canopy
stratification
Division into distinct levels
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- stratumHorizontal layer of material
- bedrockSolid stone underground
deposition · tectonics · formation · outcrop · superposition · layer · substrate · overburden · unconformity · sedimentation
conceal
Keep from being seen
shroud · eclipse · obscure · cloak · screen · bury · overshadow · blot out · block · occlude
smother
Deprive of air
- suffocateKill by blocking air
- asphyxiateKill by blocking air
- crushCompress with force
press · compress · stifle · co-sleeping · positional · weight · pressure · airway · obstruction