SHELLAC

shellac, shellac varnish

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

shellac

(noun) lac purified by heating and filtering; usually in thin orange or yellow flakes but sometimes bleached white

shellac, shellack

(verb) cover with shellac; “She wanted to shellac the desk to protect it from water spots”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

shellac (countable and uncountable, plural shellacs)

A processed secretion of the lac insect, Coccus lacca; used in polishes, varnishes etc.

(informal, US) A beating; a thrashing.

Synonyms

• E904 when used as a glazing agent

Verb

shellac (third-person singular simple present shellacs, present participle shellacking, simple past and past participle shellacked)

(transitive) To coat with shellac.

(informal, US, transitive) To beat; to thrash.

(informal, US, transitive) To inflict a heavy defeat upon.

Source: Wiktionary


Shel"lac`, Shell"-lac`, n. Etym: [Shell + lac a resinous substance; cf. D. shellak, G. schellack.]

Definition: See the Note under 2d Lac.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

28 May 2025

AIR

(noun) a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing; “an air of mystery”; “the house had a neglected air”; “an atmosphere of defeat pervaded the candidate’s headquarters”; “the place had an aura of romance”


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be “dancing” after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. That’s how the first coffee drink was born.

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