lacquer

American  

[lak-er] / ˈlæk ər /

Or lacker

noun

1. a protective coating consisting of a resin, cellulose ester, or both, dissolved in a volatile solvent, sometimes with pigment added.

2. any of various resinous varnishes, especially a resinous varnish obtained from a Japanese tree, Rhus verniciflua, used to produce a highly polished, lustrous surface on wood or the like.

3. Also called lacquerware.  Also called lacquer ware,.  ware, especially of wood, coated with such a varnish, and often inlaid.

   They collected fine Japanese lacquers.

4. Slang. any volatile solvent that produces euphoria when inhaled.

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verb (used with object)

1. to coat with lacquer.

2. to cover, as with facile or fluent words or explanations cleverly worded, etc.; obscure the faults of; gloss (often followed byover ).

   The speech tended to lacquer over the terrible conditions.

lacquer British  

/ ˈlækə /

noun

1. a hard glossy coating made by dissolving cellulose derivatives or natural resins in a volatile solvent

2. a black resinous substance, obtained from certain trees, used to give a hard glossy finish to wooden furniture

3. Also called: varnish tree.  an E Asian anacardiaceous tree, Rhus verniciflua, whose stem yields a toxic exudation from which black lacquer is obtained

4. Also called: hair lacquer.  a mixture of shellac and alcohol for spraying onto the hair to hold a style in place

5. art decorative objects coated with such lacquer, often inlaid

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verb

1. (tr) to apply lacquer to

Other Word Forms

• lacquerer noun
• relacquer verb (used with object)
• unlacquered adjective

Etymology

Origin of lacquer

1570–80; earlier leckar, laker < Portuguese lacre, lacar, unexplained variant of laca < Arabic lakk < Persian lâk lac ¹

Explanation

Lacquer is a clear liquid that is painted on a surface and dries hard and shiny. Lacquer can be used to protect wood. Wooden furniture or art objects made from wood are sometimes coated with lacquer. The lacquer makes the wood glossy and protects it from scratches and nicks. In Eastern Asia, there is a tradition of making decorative objects called "lacquerware," boxes, buttons, and other items that are made of wood and coated in lacquer. Lacquer comes from a now-obsolete French word, lacre, a type of sealing wax, and is ultimately rooted in the Sanskrit laksha, "red dye."

Example Sentences

The Georgian-style, brick and stone home offers an array of gorgeous details, like glossy wood and stone floors, red lacquer walls in the formal dining room, and numerous fireplaces.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

The barrels -- bound tightly with rope, their fabric skins stiffened and darkened with lacquer -- inevitably recall the Gulf's vast hydrocarbon wealth.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

For the dining room walls, eight Parisian artisans were flown in for months to achieve a Japanese-inspired lacquer finish.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

She’s offset the building’s cement with a childhood baby grand piano and her grandmother’s lacquer vanity with pearl inlay.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025

That would hurt the lacquer hardly at all, he said, and she could repair any damage easily enough.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• glaze
• varnish