tung oil

American

[tuhng] / tʌŋ /

noun

a yellow drying oil derived from the seeds of a tung tree, Aleurites fordii, used in varnishes, linoleum, etc.

tung oil British

/ tʌŋ /

noun

Also called: Chinese wood oil. a fast-drying oil obtained from the seeds of a central Asian euphorbiaceous tree, Aleurites fordii , used in paints, varnishes, etc, as a drying agent and to give a water-resistant finish

"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

Etymology

Origin of tung oil

1880–85; tung < Chinese tóng tung tree

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:

tung oil

This was where the tung oil plant was.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 11, 2015

The floors, made of random-width pumpkin pine, have been hand-sanded and finished with tung oil.

From New York Times ● Aug. 8, 2010

Forget about topping the sealed countertop with tung oil, as the Fireslate Web site suggests.

From Washington Post

The Corporation sold about 150,000,000 lb. of tung oil.

From Time Magazine Archive

Treated tung oil will dry to a clear, water-shedding, elastic film.

From Paint Technology and Tests by Gardner, Henry A.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023