surimposed

Surimposed is a variant spelling of superimposed, used to describe one image, object, or element placed on top of another so that both remain partly visible. The term is most often applied in visual contexts—photography, film, printing, graphic design and cartography—where layers are combined to convey additional information, create composite images or produce visual effects.

Etymology traces the form to the prefix sur- (on, over) and impose (to place), related to the Latin superimponere. The variant surimposed appears in older or regional use, while superimposed is the standard modern form in English.

Techniques for producing surimposed images range from analog methods such as multiple exposure and contact printing to digital compositing and layer blending. In film and television, surimposition can show simultaneous actions or overlay titles and captions. In scientific and medical contexts, surimposed imaging is used to compare scans, register images, or overlay functional data on anatomical images. Cartographers and GIS practitioners surimpose thematic data on base maps to highlight relationships.

Metaphorically, surimposition describes the layering of ideas, structures or meanings, where a new element is laid over an existing one without fully replacing it. Related concepts include overlay, composite image and double exposure; the choice of term often depends on discipline and technical process.