linseed oil

American  

noun

1. a drying oil obtained by pressing flaxseed, used in making paints, printing inks, linoleum, etc.

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linseed oil British  

noun

1. a yellow oil extracted from seeds of the flax plant. It has great drying qualities and is used in making oil paints, printer's ink, linoleum, etc

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Etymology

Origin of linseed oil

First recorded in 1540–50

Example Sentences

Taking a bottle of powdered cadmium sulfide pigment off a shelf, she mixed it with linseed oil and then brushed it on microscope slides to dry.

From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2024

Q: We placed a fall gourd as a decoration on our curly maple dining table, which is finished only with linseed oil that we apply periodically.

From Washington Post • Apr. 7, 2023

He now mixes a pasty, cold wax in with his linseed oil and paint to create a unique concoction that gives the canvas surface a translucency that he sees as “parallel to the porcelain.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2023

For breakfast, try one of the restaurant's signature juice blends — perhaps the Pick Me Up, made with carrot, apple, orange, lemon, linseed oil and agave — and maybe one of their delectable crêpes.

From Salon • Nov. 26, 2022

The place was thick with the odor compounded of paint, linseed oil, and turpentine—and after a few moments the subtle aroma of stale beer.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes