patina
a film or incrustation, usually green, produced by oxidation on the surface of old bronze and often esteemed as being of ornamental value.
a similar film or coloring appearing gradually on some other substance.
a surface calcification of implements, usually indicating great age.
Origin of patina
1- Also patine [puh-teen]. /pəˈtin/.
Words Nearby patina
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use patina in a sentence
Over-eager hobbyists sometimes dunk coins in vinegar to clean off their protective patinas or straighten bent pieces of metal, potentially erasing clues as to how they were once used or why they were discarded.
How Scotland forged a rare alliance between amateur treasure hunters and archaeologists | Corinne Iozzio | August 24, 2021 | Popular-ScienceLike all denim clothing, the Bone Button looks even better with a patina, so I’m looking forward to breaking it in even more during the fall.
His prose is burnished with an antique patina that evokes the mid-19th century.
Oprah’s latest Book Club pick, ‘The Sweetness of Water,’ is a miraculous debut | Ron Charles | June 15, 2021 | Washington PostLike the backs of iPods past, you can expect all that knocking around in your pocket, purse or pet collar to leave a patina on your gadget.
With the Help of a World Full of iPhones, Apple’s AirTags Have Already Outsmarted the Competition | Patrick Lucas Austin | June 7, 2021 | TimeOld paintings acquire a patina that’s part of their heritage.
How These Rothkos Were Restored Without Touching the Canvas | Adam Rogers | May 30, 2021 | The Daily Beast
They were done to give a thin patina of ersatz legitimacy to what is otherwise flagrant sexual assault.
‘Rectal Feeding’ Has Nothing to Do with Nutrition, Everything to Do with Torture | Russell Saunders | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTPhones on desks, linens on beds, catalog cards spilling out of the filing cabinets—all covered with a fine patina of dust.
Organicness, too, can offer a patina of healthfulness to unsavory substances.
Sandoval has also managed to burnish his image with a patina of integrity in the scandal-scarred Silver State.
And sometimes the Court takes a political issue and envelopes it with a constitutional patina.
Obama Will Lose Recess Appointment Case, but Will Other Presidents Lose Their Power? | Andrew Cohen | January 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe girls at the windows had nothing for it but to come downstairs, and patina came with them, for Don Roque brooked no delay.
The Fourth Estate, vol.1 | Armando Palacio ValdsThere was a faint patina of dust covering the glossy surface, but it was very faint, indeed.
Dead Giveaway | Gordon Randall GarrettThe green patina that covered the bronze was uncannily beautiful in the moonlight, and the water was molten silver.
What Will People Say? | Rupert HughesNot necessarily chocolate-roofed, however: the eaves may be tinged instead with a soft patina of caf au lait.
Bizarre | Lawton MackallThe arrowheads are made of flint, rather more opaque and with a duller patina than English flint.
A Journal from Japan | Marie Carmichael Stopes
British Dictionary definitions for patina (1 of 2)
/ (ˈpætɪnə) /
a film of oxide formed on the surface of a metal, esp the green oxidation of bronze or copper: See also verdigris (def. 1)
any fine layer on a surface: a patina of frost
the sheen on a surface that is caused by much handling
Origin of patina
1British Dictionary definitions for patina (2 of 2)
/ (ˈpætɪnə) /
a broad shallow dish used in ancient Rome
Origin of patina
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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