interlard

English

WOTD – 4 November 2025

Etymology

The verb is derived from Late Middle English interlarden (“to mix fat into (something)”),[1] borrowed from Old French entrelarder (modern French entrelarder (“(cooking) to put pieces of bacon into meat, interlard; (figurative) to furnish by interspersing, adorn something all over (e.g., a text, with verses, metaphors, etc.)”)), from entre- (prefix meaning ‘in between, between’) (from Latin inter-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér (“between”)) + larder (“to smear with lard or fat, to lard”) (from lard (“bacon fat, lard”) + -er (a variant of -ier (suffix forming verbs))).[2] Lard is from Latin lārdum, lāridum (“bacon fat, lard”); further etymology uncertain, probably borrowed from or related to Ancient Greek λᾱρῑνός (lārīnós, “fat, fatted”, adjective), possibly from λᾱρός (lārós, “delicious; sweet”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂w- (“to gain; to seize; benefit, prize”)) + -ινός (-inós) (a variant of -ῐνος (-ĭnos, suffix forming adjectives)). By surface analysis, inter- (prefix meaning ‘between’) +‎ lard (verb).

The noun is derived from Late Middle English interlarde (“abdominal fat”),[3] from interlarden (verb) (see above).[4]

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɪntəˈlɑːd/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˌɪntəɹˈlɑɹd/, [-ɾəɹ-]
  • Audio (General American):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)d
  • Hyphenation: int‧er‧lard

Verb

interlard (third-person singular simple present interlards, present participle interlarding, simple past and past participle interlarded) (transitive)

  1. (figurative) To embellish or vary (something) by interspersing or mixing another thing with it; also, to intersperse or mix (something) into another thing to embellish or vary it; to interweave, to mingle.
    Near-synonym: interlace
    • 1610 October, John Foxe, “[The Apprehension and Examination of Tho[mas] Bilney and Tho[mas] Arthur]”, in The Second Volume of the Ecclesiasticall Historie, Containing the Acts and Monuments of Martyrs, […], 6th edition, volume II, London: […] [Humphrey Lownes] for the Company of Stationers, →OCLC, book VIII, page 920, column 1:
      And here is a knacke of Simons art, to enterlard a tale of vntruth, with ſome parcell of truth now and then among, that ſomethings being found true, may win credit to the reſt which is vtterly falſe.
    • 1681 July 31 (Gregorian calendar), John Tillotson, “Sermon XXII. The Lawfulness and Obligation of Oaths. Heb[rews] VI. 16. [A Sermon Preach’d at the Assizes Held at Kingston upon Thames, July 21. 1681].”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: […], London: […] B. Aylmer, […]; [a]nd W. Rogers, […], published 1696, →OCLC, page 233:
      The great ſin of Svvearing, […] doth many times ſurpriſe men unavvares into Perjury; And hovv can it be othervviſe, vvhen men uſe to interlard all their careleſs talk vvith Oaths, but that they muſt often be Perjur'd?
    • 1695, [William] Congreve, Love for Love: A Comedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act IV, page 74:
      But lying is a Figure in Speech, that interlards the greateſt part of my Converſation.
    • 1708, [John Philips], “Book II”, in Cyder. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 64:
      They interlard their native Drinks vvith choice / Of ſtrongeſt Brandy, yet ſcarce vvith theſe Aids / Enabl'd to prevent the ſuddain Rot / Of freezing Noſe, and quick-decaying Feet.
    • 1751 December (indicated as 1752), Henry Fielding, “Containing the Inside of a Prison”, in Amelia. […], volume I, London: […] [William Strahan] for A[ndrew] Millar […], →OCLC, book I, page 19:
      She then launched forth a Volley of dreadful Oaths, interlarded vvith ſome Language, not proper to be repeated here, […]
    • 1800, Alexander Geddes, “Exodus. [Chap[ter] II.]”, in Critical Remarks on the Hebrew Scriptures: Corresponding with a New Translation of the Bible, volume I (Containing Remarks on the Pentateuch), London: […] [F]or the author by Davis, Wilks, and Taylor; [a]nd sold by R. Faulder, […]; and J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC, pages 162–163:
      Either, then, the ſacred books of his nation were different from the ſacred books of our preſent Hebrew Bible; or Joſephus made no ſcruple of interlarding them with apocryphal ſtories.
    • 1820 March, [Walter Scott], chapter II, in The Monastery. A Romance. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Co., and John Ballantyne, […], →OCLC, page 42:
      [T]he high-flown and ornate compliments with which the gallant knight of the sixteenth century interlarded his conversation, were as much the offspring of egotism and self-conceit, as the jargon of the coxcombs of our own days.
    • 1848 July, [George Frederick Ruxton], “Life in the ‘Far West.’ Part II.”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume LXIV, number CCCXCIII, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood & Sons, →OCLC, page 20, column 2:
      Here, over fiery "monaghahela," Jean Batiste, […] hobnobs with a stalwart leather-clad "boy," just returned from trapping on the waters of Grand River, on the western side the mountains, who interlards his mountain jargon with Spanish words picked up in Taos and California.
    • 1862 January – 1863 January, M[ary] E[lizabeth] Braddon, “Fighting the Battle”, in Aurora Floyd. […], volume I, London: Tinsley Brothers, […], published 1863, →OCLC, page 224:
      [T]he names of places and horses and slangy technicalities of the turf, had interlarded the poor girl's brain-sick babble; […]
    • 1887 November, G[ustav] H[einrich] Theodor Eimer, “Specialization in Science”, in William J[ay] Youmans, editor, The Popular Science Monthly, volume XXXII, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, […], published 1888, →OCLC, pages 29–30:
      The German student appears only too often to think that he must present his subject in the most difficult phraseology, excessively interlarded with strange words, as if he purposely would permit a glance into the treasures of his science and his knowledge only to an extremely narrow circle.
    • 1960 August, “New Reading on Railways: the railways of bolton, 1824–1959. By J. R. Bardsley. Published by the Author at Chorley New Road, Bolton. 2s. 9d. post free.”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 511:
      The author has provided considerable information interlarded with some interesting quotations from contemporary accounts, but his booklet would have been much improved if the material had been arranged with more care.
  2. (obsolete)
    1. (passive voice) To naturally intersperse (an animal's flesh or muscle) with layers of fat.
    2. (cooking) To place pieces of bacon, fat, etc., into (lean meat) before cooking; also, to place (pieces of bacon, fat, etc.) into lean meat before cooking.
      1. (by extension) Followed by with: to coat the inside of a thing with (a substance).
        • 1632, William Lithgow, “The Fifth Part”, in The Totall Discourse, of the Rare Aduentures, and Painefull Peregrinations of Long Nineteene Yeares Trauyles, from Scotland, to the Most Famous Kingdomes in Europe, Asia, and Affrica. […], [revised] edition, London: […] Nicholas Okes, and are to be sold by Nicholas Fussell and Humphrey Mos[e]ley […], →OCLC, page 182:
          [T]hey haue no barrels; but great Iarres made of earth, vvherein their VVine is put. And theſe Iarres are all incloſed vvithin the ground ſaue onely their mouthes, vvhich ſtand alvvayes open like to a Source or Ciſterne; vvhoſe inſides are all interlarded vvith pitch to preſerue the earthen veſſells vnbroke a ſunder, in regard of the forcible VVine; yet making the taſte thereof vnpleaſant to liquorous lips; […]
      2. (figurative) Followed by with: to place layers or portions of a thing into (something); also, to place layers or portions of (something) into a thing; to interpolate, to interpose.
        • 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XXXIV.] Of 366 Excellent Peeces of Worke in Brasse, and as Many Cunning Artificers in that Kind.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], 2nd tome, London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 497:
          Thus having raunged the moſt famous artificers diſtinctly according to their ſeverall ages, I vvill run over them againe; as many I mean as excell the reſt: and yet hovvſoever I make haſt, I vvill not overpaſſe the multitude of others, but interlard (as it vvere) and diſperſe them among, as occaſion ſhall be offered.
        • 1632, William Lithgow, “The Eight Part, &c. Contayning the Second Booke of My Second Trauailes”, in The Totall Discourse, of the Rare Aduentures, and Painefull Peregrinations of Long Nineteene Yeares Trauyles, from Scotland, to the Most Famous Kingdomes in Europe, Asia, and Affrica. […], [revised] edition, London: […] Nicholas Okes, and are to be sold by Nicholas Fussell and Humphrey Mos[e]ley […], →OCLC, page 369:
          [T]here are in the City [Fez, Morocco] […] more than foure hundred and threeſcore Moſques; fifty vvhereof are vvell benefited and ſuperbiouſly decored vvithin and vvithout, vvith glorious and extraordinary vvorkmanſhip, […] the vvalles and pillars being of grey Marble, interlarded vvith vvhite Alabaſter, […]
        • 1662, Bartholinus [i.e., Thomas Bartholin], “Of the Membranes which Infold the Child in the Womb”, in Nicholas Culpeper, Abdiah Cole, transl., Bartholinus Anatomy; […] (The Physitian’s Library), London: […] Peter Cole […], →OCLC, 1st book (Of the Lower Belly), page 80:
          [I]n Mankind, this Membrane [the placental cotyledon] cleavs immediately to the vvomb, […] being framed of an innumerable company of Branches, of Veins, and Arteries, among vvhich blood out of the Veſſels ſeems to be ſhed and interlarded.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

interlard (uncountable)

  1. (obsolete, rare) The abdominal fat of an animal.
    • 1588, “The .LXII. Psalme”, in The Primer in Englysh after Salysburie Vse: […], London: […] [T]he assygnes of John Wayland, […], →OCLC, signature E, verso:
      My ſoule ſhal be ſatiſfyed as it wer with interlarde and fatnes, and my mouth ſhall prayſe thee with lippes full of ioye.
      Psalm 63:5 in modern versions of the Bible: “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: […]”.

References

  1. ^ “interlarden, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. ^ “interlard, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2025; “interlard, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  3. ^ “interlarde, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  4. ^ “interlard, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, July 2023.
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