shellac

American  

[shuh-lak] / ʃəˈlæk /

Or shellack

noun

1. lac that has been purified and formed into thin sheets, used for making varnish shellac varnish by dissolving it in alcohol or a similar solvent.

2. formerly, a phonograph record made of a breakable material containing shellac, especially one to be played at 78 r.p.m..

   In the antique shop I found a stack of old shellacs with recordings of great wartime classics.

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verb (used with object)

shellacked, shellacking

1. to coat or treat with shellac.

2. Slang.

   1. to defeat; trounce.

   2. to thrash soundly.

shellac British  

/ ˈʃɛlæk, ʃəˈlæk /

noun

1. a yellowish resin secreted by the lac insect, esp a commercial preparation of this used in varnishes, polishes, and leather dressings

2. Also called: shellac varnish.  a varnish made by dissolving shellac in ethanol or a similar solvent

3. a gramophone record based on shellac

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verb

1. to coat or treat (an article) with a shellac varnish

2. slang to defeat completely

Other Word Forms

• shellacker noun

Etymology

Origin of shellac

First recorded in 1705–15; shell + lac ¹, translation of French laque en écailles “lac in thin plates”

Explanation

You might paint a layer of shellac, or varnish, on a bench built from reclaimed and stained wood, to protect it and give it a glossy sheen. This noun, mainly associated with a thin varnish, displays its origins plainly: the main ingredient is lac, a resinous substance secreted by some scale insects. Shellac started making the rounds in English in the 18th century and enjoyed a vogue a century later as the main constituent of phonograph records. It originally came from the French laque en écailles, or "lac in thin plates."

Example Sentences

It took the combination of shellac discs, electronic amplification and an automatic record-changer for National Automatic Music Company to manufacture the first 20-song multiplay machines in 1927.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Human societies have used plastics that occur naturally in the environment for hundreds of years, in the form of rubber, horn and shellac.

From BBC • Aug. 5, 2025

Instead, “People getting ready to do things” is spelled out in egg yolk, besmirching the virginal purity of its white satin support; and “It’s only vanishing cream” is translucent shellac disappearing against deathly black.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2024

Salisbury recommends sealing the knots first with shellac.

From Washington Post • Nov. 11, 2022

Ebright, Bolles noticed, had been making more than the usual amount of noise in the Bay Area press lately about how thoroughly his freshmen were going to shellac Washington.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown