im·pas·to \imˈpa(ˌ)stō, -pä-, -paa-, -pȧ-\noun (-s) Usage:often attributive Etymology: Italian, from impastare : the thick application of a pigment to a canvas or panel in painting < impasto tempera — Ralph Mayer > < impasto effects — Yankee > also: the body of pigment so applied < paint laid on in so thick an impasto that it appears almost in bas-relief — R.M.Coates >