shellac

or shel·lack

[ shuh-lak ]

/ ʃəˈlæk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shellac ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

lac that has been purified and formed into thin sheets, used for making varnish.

a varnish (shellac varnish) made by dissolving this material in alcohol or a similar solvent.

a phonograph record made of a breakable material containing shellac, especially one to be played at 78 r.p.m.: an LP that can hold nearly 10 times as much as the old shellac.

verb (used with object), shel·lacked, shel·lack·ing.

to coat or treat with shellac.

Slang.

to defeat; trounce.
to thrash soundly.

RELATED WORDS

strike, varnish, trounce, defeat

Nearby words

shell star, shell steak, shell suit, shell-like, shell-shocked, shellac, shellacking, shellback, shellbark, shellcracker, shelled

Origin of shellac

1705–15; shell + lac¹, translation of French laque en écailles lac in thin plates

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shellac

Steep in a solution of common salt and alum, and after being made into paper coat with an alcoholic solution of shellac.
Paper and Printing Recipes|J. Sawtelle Ford
Shellac is produced in the largest quantity and the best quality in Bengal, Assam, and Burmah.
French Polishing and Enamelling|Richard Bitmead
Stain with two coats of weathered or mission-oak stain, and then apply a thin coat of "under-lac" or shellac and two coats of wax.
Mission Furniture|H. H. Windsor
Shellac should be dissolved in alcohol and this requires some time.
Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects|C. V. Riley

It is then preserved by impregnation with a solution of shellac, poppy-seed oil, or isinglass (pp. 70 and 86).
The Preservation of Antiquities|Friedrich Rathgen

British Dictionary definitions for shellac

shellac

/ (ʃəˈlæk, ˈʃɛlæk) /

noun

a yellowish resin secreted by the lac insect, esp a commercial preparation of this used in varnishes, polishes, and leather dressings

Also called: shellac varnish a varnish made by dissolving shellac in ethanol or a similar solvent

a gramophone record based on shellac

verb -lacs, -lacking or -lacked (tr)

to coat or treat (an article) with a shellac varnish

US slang to defeat completely

Derived Formsshellacker, noun

Word Origin for shellac

C18: shell + lac 1, translation of French laque en écailles, literally: lac in scales, that is, in thin plates

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