copal

[ koh-puh l, -pal ]

/ ˈkoʊ pəl, -pæl /

noun

a hard, lustrous resin obtained from various tropical trees and used chiefly in making varnishes.

Nearby words

cop-out, cop., copacetic, copaiba, copaiba oil, copal, copalm, coparcenary, coparcener, copartner, copartnership

Origin of copal

1570–80; < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl copalli

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for copal

These bowls were used as censers, for some are still filled with copal.
The Ancient Cities of the New World|Dsir Charnay
The noise increased as we advanced, and the birds were affrighted by the light of the torches of copal.
At Last|Charles Kingsley
She resembled a fine old wainscotted painting with the face and features shining through a thick incrustation of copal varnish.
The Mirror Of Literature, Amusement, And Instruction|Various
Father Brandsma is devoting some of his energy to a change in copal gathering.
An African Adventure|Isaac F. Marcosson

This, though M. Merimée confesses it does not resemble it in consistence, he still will have to be copal.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 57, No. 356, June, 1845|Various

British Dictionary definitions for copal

copal

/ (ˈkəʊpəl, -pæl) /

noun

a hard aromatic resin, yellow, orange, or red in colour, obtained from various tropical trees and used in making varnishes and lacquers

Word Origin for copal

C16: from Spanish, from Nahuatl copalli resin

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

copal

noun

RELATED CONTENT

Nearby words

Origin of copal

Examples from the Web for copal

British Dictionary definitions for copal

copal

noun

Word Origin for copal