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  • resin
    resin
    noun
    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.
  • Resin
    Resin
    noun
    a male given name.
Synonyms

resin

1 American  
[rez-in] / ˈrɛz ɪn /

noun

  • resins
    plural
  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 a substance of this type obtained from certain pines.


verb (used with object)

  1. to treat or rub with resin.

Resin 2 American  
[rez-in] / ˈrɛz ɪn /

noun

  1. a male given name.


resin British  
/ 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

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to treat or coat with 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
resin Scientific  
/ rĕz′ĭn /
  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.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


Etymology

Origin of resin

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


Explanation

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing resin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

But in recent months, oil prices have continued to drive up the price of resin, the chemical substance Ambix uses in its products, helping to prompt a change in her outlook.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Vidanska applies resin to the flowers she grows at home, like plumeria and bougainvillea to make hair pins and other accessories.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

An appliance that melted rests on a counter in D&P Green, a pine resin distillery destroyed by the wildfire Le Porge.

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

Now a brightly glowing bead of resin threw a brief light across her face.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

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

Commodities such as cedar, tin/lead, oils, tree resins, lapis lazuli and silver, all materials that Egypt lacked, were imported by the Egyptian state.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 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

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