lacquer
or lack·er
a protective coating consisting of a resin, cellulose ester, or both, dissolved in a volatile solvent, sometimes with pigment added.
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.
Also called lacquer ware, lac·quer·ware . ware, especially of wood, coated with such a varnish, and often inlaid: They collected fine Japanese lacquers.
Slang. any volatile solvent that produces euphoria when inhaled.
to coat with lacquer.
to cover, as with facile or fluent words or explanations cleverly worded, etc.; obscure the faults of; gloss (often followed by over): The speech tended to lacquer over the terrible conditions.
Origin of lacquer
1Other words from lacquer
- lac·quer·er, noun
- re·lac·quer, verb (used with object)
- un·lac·quered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use lacquer in a sentence
A trained eye sees only the faint palimpsest of the war beneath layers of urbanization, expansion, suburbanization and all the lacquer that an affluent and busy society slathers on the past.
In 1814, British forces burned the U.S. Capitol | Joel Achenbach | January 6, 2021 | Washington PostSpaceX also has swapped out two engines of the Falcon 9 rocket that would launch Saturday after detecting that a tiny valve vent was clogged with a lacquer used to prevent corrosion.
During a year of tumult, space has been a rare bright spot. SpaceX and NASA hope to keep it that way. | Christian Davenport | November 11, 2020 | Washington PostGlam came into play in the form of a figure-hugging lacquered rayon cloth skirt in turquoise that looked like sexy plastic.
Then they offer up lacquered knits and lace, woven leather, woven and lacquered leather.
His oxblood cardigan, in lacquered wool, is splendid, and so are his waxed-suede pants.
With marble archways, a sea-swept spa and lacquered restaurants, this place sparkles.
She dispenses facts like a braying machine, bobble-nodding a head of hyper-lacquered hair.
She moved now deliberately to Um's fusuma, tapping lightly on the lacquered frame.
The Dragon Painter | Mary McNeil FenollosaShe then entered, placing her small lacquered clogs beside those of her husband.
The Dragon Painter | Mary McNeil FenollosaThe finest of these are lacquered with silver and gold, while the harnesses and whips are made of real silver and gold.
Ways of War and Peace | Delia AustrianHe threw the letter back quickly, and closed the wonderfully adjusted drawer of the lacquered table.
The Nabob | Alphonse DaudetIn the meantime, have the other stuff cleaned up and lacquered; it keeps rust off, and saves the servants much trouble.
Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie | George Brenton Laurie
British Dictionary definitions for lacquer
/ (ˈlækə) /
a hard glossy coating made by dissolving cellulose derivatives or natural resins in a volatile solvent
a black resinous substance, obtained from certain trees, used to give a hard glossy finish to wooden furniture
lacquer tree Also called: varnish tree an E Asian anacardiaceous tree, Rhus verniciflua, whose stem yields a toxic exudation from which black lacquer is obtained
Also called: hair lacquer a mixture of shellac and alcohol for spraying onto the hair to hold a style in place
art decorative objects coated with such lacquer, often inlaid
(tr) to apply lacquer to
Origin of lacquer
1Derived forms of lacquer
- lacquerer, noun
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
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