1. Any of various clear or colored synthetic coatings made by dissolving nitrocellulose or other cellulose derivatives together with plasticizers and pigments in a mixture of volatile solvents and used to impart a high gloss to surfaces.
2. A glossy, resinous material, such as the exudation of the lacquer tree, used as a surface coating.
3. A finish that is baked onto the inside of food and beverage cans.

1. To coat with lacquer.
2. To give a sleek, glossy finish to.

[Obsolete French lacre, sealing wax, from Portuguese, from lacca, resin of the lac insect, from Arabic lakk. See lac.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.