1. The application of thick layers of pigment to a canvas or other surface in painting.
2. The paint so applied.

[Italian, from impastare, to make into a paste : in-, in (from Latin; see in-²) + pasta, paste (from Late Latin; see paste¹).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.