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linseed oil

American  

noun

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


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of linseed oil

First recorded in 1540–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Linseed oil reacts with oxygen in the air to create a plasticlike finish.

From Washington Post • Apr. 7, 2023

Linseed oil is an uncertain but safe purgative, in doses from a pound to a pound and a half.

From Domestic Animals History and description of the horse, mule, cattle, sheep, swine, poultry and farm dogs; with directions for their management, breeding, crossing, rearing, feeding, and preparation for a profitable market; also their diseases and remedies. Together with full directions for the management of the dairy. by Allen, Richard L.

Linseed oil, which consists largely, as the name implies, of linoleic acid, will absorb oxygen on exposure to the air and become hard.

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Slosson, Edwin E.

The soles should never be oiled, except perhaps with Linseed oil, which hardens the leather.

From Ski-running by Furse, Katharine Symonds

Linseed oil is also frequently used to relieve the constipation, but with this there is a fear of billiousness following its use.

From The Pig Breeding, Rearing, and Marketing by Spencer, Sanders