resin

[ rez-in ]
See synonyms for resin on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. 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.

  2. Also rosin . a substance of this type obtained from certain pines.

verb (used with object)
  1. to treat or rub with resin.

Origin of resin

1
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

Other words from resin

  • res·in·like, adjective

Words that may be confused with resin

Words Nearby resin

Other definitions for Resin (2 of 2)

Resin
[ rez-in ]

noun
  1. a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use resin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for resin

resin

/ (ˈrɛzɪn) /


noun
  1. 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

  2. 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 (def. 1)

verb
  1. (tr) to treat or coat with resin

Origin of resin

1
C14: from Old French resine, from Latin rēsīna, from Greek rhētinē resin from a pine

Derived forms of resin

  • resinous, adjective
  • resinously, adverb
  • resinousness, 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

Scientific definitions for resin

resin

[ rĕzĭn ]


  1. 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.

  2. Any of various artificial substances, such as polyurethane, that have similar properties to natural resins and are used to make plastics.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.