any of a class of nonvolatile, solid or semisolid organic substances, as copal or mastic, that consist of amorphous mixtures of carboxylic acids and are obtained directly from certain plants as exudations or prepared by polymerization of simple molecules: used in medicine and in the making of varnishes and plastics.
Also a substance of this type obtained from certain pines.
any of a group of solid or semisolid amorphous compounds that are obtained directly from certain plants as exudations. They are used in medicine and in varnishes
any of a large number of synthetic, usually organic, materials that have a polymeric structure, esp such a substance in a raw state before it is moulded or treated with plasticizer, stabilizer, filler, etc Compare plastic
Any of numerous clear or translucent, yellowish or brownish substances that ooze from certain trees and plants. Resins are used in products such as varnishes, lacquers, adhesives, plastics, and drugs. Balsam is a resin.
Any of various artificial substances, such as polyurethane, that have similar properties to natural resins and are used to make plastics.
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French resine, from Latin rēsīna, probably from a non-Indo-European language; compare Greek rhētī́nē “pine resin,” from a related source
Resin is a sticky substance that oozes out of trees including fir and pine trees. Because resin is insoluble in water, it's useful as a base in different kinds of glue and varnishes. Resin can be found in many materials from varnishes and cement to incense and other therapeutic products. Musicians add resin to the bows of their string instruments to help them get a little more friction. Ballet dancers coat the bottoms of their slippers in resin powder for a similar reason — to keep from slipping on the floor while they dance.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To investigate what happens to brain energy during sleep, the researchers used a UV-curable resin to keep the skulls of mice transparent, allowing them to observe the brain during natural sleep.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
As a young man, Francisco traversed it on horseback, eking out a living by draining resin from the towering pines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
The pines would also enrich landowners and the Bordeaux bourgeoisie: The hardscrabble culture of sheep grazing gave way to a booming industry of wood, paper and resin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
During debinding, the crown is slowly heated to remove the resin that holds the zirconia particles together during printing.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Only then did Denna and I emerge from our hiding place, me carrying my travelsack, she with the heavy oilskin bag that held all the resin we’d found, nearly a full bushel of it.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Biomass Resin, whose tidy factory sits on land originally set aside for another nuclear plant, is one of the newest.
From Reuters ● Mar. 9, 2023
Resin has been used by humans since antiquity and is found today in a dizzyingly broad array of products, from paint and solvents to pharmaceuticals, plastics and cosmetics.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2021
Resin, which gets brittle over time, grows increasingly fragile as it ages.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2020
Resin is used by most, if not all, competitors in tug-of-war competitions - apparently it improves your grip.
From BBC ● May 15, 2019
Resin designed to seal a breach against that pressure?
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
UV light is used for air purification, curing resins in 3D printing, hardening gels in dental fillings, and even applications such as nail treatments.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
More broadly, diesel fuel and jet fuel, as well as petroleum-based products like plastic resins were up on the month as well.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Prices of products made from oil derivatives, such as plastic resins and chemicals, also rose sharply.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
Methyl methacrylate is used to make resins and plastics.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
Calixte asked for nothing at all, though Lazlo knew she was procuring, with Tzara’s assistance, an array of resins with which to concoct sticking pastes to aid in her climbing.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
