varnish

 
Pronunciation: /ˈvɑːnɪʃ/

noun

[mass noun]
  • resin dissolved in a liquid for applying on wood, metal, or other materials to form a hard, clear, shiny surface when dry: several coats of varnish [count noun]: the wood was stained with a dark varnish
  • short for nail varnish. her fingernails were painted with pink varnish
  • [in singular] literary an external or superficially attractive appearance of a specific quality: an outward varnish of civilization

verb

[with object]
  • apply varnish to: we stripped the floor and varnished it [with object and complement]: her toenails were varnished red

Derivatives

varnisher

noun

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French vernis, from medieval Latin veronix 'fragrant resin, sandarac' or medieval Greek berenikē, probably from Berenice, a town in Cyrenaica