Library / English Dictionary

VARNISH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A coating that provides a hard, lustrous, transparent finish to a surface

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("varnish" is a kind of...):

coat; coating (a thin layer covering something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "varnish"):

fixative (a varnish dissolved in alcohol and sprayed over pictures to prevent smudging)

shellac; shellac varnish (a thin varnish made by dissolving lac in ethanol; used to finish wood)

Derivation:

varnish (cover with varnish)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cover with varnish

Synonyms:

seal; varnish

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "varnish" is one way to...):

coat; surface (put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "varnish"):

shellac; shellack (cover with shellac)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

varnish (a coating that provides a hard, lustrous, transparent finish to a surface)

varnisher (someone who applies a finishing coat of varnish)

Credits