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

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

Word Origin and History for shellac

shellac

1713, from shell (n.) + lac (see lacquer). Translates French laque en écailles "lac in thin plates."

shellac

1876, from shellack (n.). The slang sense of "beat soundly" is 1920s, perhaps from the notion of shellac as a "finish." Shellacked "drunk" is from 1922 (cf. plastered). Related: Shellacking.