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varnish

 
Dictionary: var·nish   (vär'nĭsh) pronunciation
n.
    1. A paint containing a solvent and an oxidizing or evaporating binder, used to coat a surface with a hard, glossy, transparent film.
    2. The smooth coating or gloss resulting from the application of this paint.
    1. Something suggestive of or resembling varnish.
    2. A deceptively attractive external appearance; an outward show.
tr.v., -nished, -nish·ing, -nish·es.
  1. To cover with varnish.
  2. To give a smooth and glossy finish to.
  3. To give a deceptively attractive appearance to; gloss over.

[Middle English vernisshe, from Old French vernis, from Medieval Latin veronix, vernix, sandarac resin, from Medieval Greek verenikē, from Greek Berenikē, Berenice (Benghazi), an ancient city of Cyrenaica.]

varnisher var'nish·er n.

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A transparent surface coating which is applied as a liquid and then changes to a hard solid. Varnishes are solutions of resinous materials in a solvent, and dry by the evaporation of the solvent or by a chemical reaction, either with oxygen from the air or by some other means, including absorption of atmospheric moisture.

Spirit varnishes are those in which the evaporation of solvent is the only drying process; the solvent is usually alcohol, although the term is used for similar coatings made with other solvents. Shellac varnish, made by dissolving shellac in alcohol, is the most common of this type. Oleoresinous varnishes are made by treating a drying oil with a resin, usually with heat, and dissolving the reaction product in a solvent, usually a petroleum fraction; drying results from the evaporation of the solvent, followed by polymerization of the drying oil portion, a reaction which is accelerated by metallic driers added to the varnish. For a discussion of the mechanism of this drying action. See also Drier (paint); Shellac; Solvent.

Varnish coatings on wood are used to protect against abrasion, staining, and weather and to reduce the penetration of water and other materials without obscuring the grain or changing the color materially. Varnishes are used on masonry to reduce the penetration of moisture and the damage from freezing. Paper is coated with varnish to resist moisture and keep printing from being damaged. See also Printing; Surface coating.


Marketing Dictionary: varnish
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1. Solution (vehicle) sometimes used as the base component of ink. The varnish used determines the ink tack, gloss, resistance to wear, and drying speed. Varnish may be composed of linseed oil or other natural or synthetic oils.

2. Coating applied to paper to protect the surface from wear and to give it a glossy finish.

Thesaurus: varnish
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verb

    To give a deceptively attractive appearance to: color, gild, gloss (over), gloze (over), sugarcoat, veneer, whitewash. Idioms: paper over, put a good face on. See true/false.

Antonyms: varnish
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v

Definition: add a layer to; embellish
Antonyms: strip


Dental Dictionary: varnish
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n

(cavity liner, cavity varnish), a clear solution of resinous material or natural gum, such as copal or rosin dissolved in acetone, ether, or chloroform, which is capable of hardening without losing its transparency. Varnish is used in cavity preparations to seal out dentinal tubules, reduce microleakage, and insulate the pulp against shock from thermal changes.

Architecture: varnish
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A clear, unpigmented preparation consisting of resinous matter dissolved in alcohol (spirit varnish) or other volatile liquid, or in oil (oil varnish); when applied as a thin coating on a surface, it dries leaving a hard, smooth, transparent, glossy protective film.


 
varnish, homogeneous solution of gum or of natural or synthetic resins in oil (oil varnish) or in a volatile solvent (spirit varnish), which dries on exposure to air, forming a thin, hard, usually glossy film. It is used for the protection or decoration of surfaces and may be transparent, translucent, or tinted. For oil varnishes a hard gum or resin, often a fossilized plant exudation such as kauri or copal, is dissolved in oil (commonly linseed oil or tung oil) and is diluted with a volatile solvent such as turpentine. Spirit varnishes are commonly made of soft resins or gums, such as shellac, dammer, mastic, or sandarac, dissolved in a volatile solvent, e.g., alcohol, benzene, acetone, or turpentine. Enamel is varnish with added pigments. Lacquer may be a cellulose derivative dissolved in a volatile solvent, or it may be a natural varnish made in the East from the sap of trees. Among the varnishes named either for their constituents or for the proposed use are japanner's gold size, cabinet, carriage, bookbinder's, patent-leather, insulating, photographic, shellac, and copal picture varnish. Varnish has been known from antiquity; the Egyptians coated mummy cases with a pastelike form made of soft resins dissolved in oil and applied when warm. Another early use was for coating oil paintings. Stradivarius and other violinmakers used a slow-drying linseed oil varnish on their instruments.

Bibliography

See Oil & Colour Chemists' Assoc., Paint Technology Manual (2 vol., 1961, 1962); C. R. Martens, Technology of Paints, Varnishes, and Lacquers (1968).


Translations: Varnish
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - lak, fernis, neglelak
v. tr. - lakere, fernisere, besmykke

Nederlands (Dutch)
vernis, laklaag, glans, uiterlijke schijn, nagellak, schoonwasserij, vernissen, verfraaien, schoonwassen

Français (French)
n. - vernis
v. tr. - vernir

Deutsch (German)
n. - Lack, Firnis, Glasur, Politur
v. - firnissen, lackieren, glasieren, übertünchen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - βερνίκι, λούστρο, στιλβωμένη επιφάνεια, (μτφ.) επίφαση
v. - βερνικώνω, λουστράρω, στιλβώνω, βάφω

Italiano (Italian)
verniciare, lustrare, mascherare, far apparire migliore, vernice, lustro

Português (Portuguese)
n. - verniz (m), brilho (m), polimento (m)
v. - envernizar, disfarçar

Русский (Russian)
лак, глянец, маскировка, покрывать лаком, наводить лоск

Español (Spanish)
n. - barniz, esmalte
v. tr. - barnizar, charolar, vidriar, embellecer, paliar

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - förnissa, lack, glasyr, glansighet
v. - förnissa, lackera, glasera, förgylla

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
油漆, 掩饰, 清漆, 粉饰, 装饰, 涂油漆于

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 油漆, 掩飾, 清漆
v. tr. - 粉飾, 裝飾, 塗油漆於

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 바니시, 광택, 겉치레
v. tr. - 니스를 칠하다, 겉꾸밈하다, 꾸며 속이다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ニス, ニス塗りの光沢面, 見せかけ, 虚飾, ごまかし, 上薬
v. - ニスを塗る, うわべを飾って穏す

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ورنيش, برنيق, لمعه (فعل) برنق, دهن او طلى بالورنيش‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮לכה, ברק, ציפוי, ברק חיצוני‬
v. tr. - ‮ציפה בלכה, ליכה, ייפה‬


 
 

 

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