varnish

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈvɑː(ɹ)nɪʃ/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English vernisshe, borrowed from Old French vernis,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Medieval Latin vernix (“odorous resin, sandarac”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} a word of uncertain origin,^[4] perhaps from Late Greek verenikē, from the city of Ancient Greek Βερενίκη (Bereníkē) in Libya (modern Benghazi),^[2][3][4][6] which is credited with the first use of varnishes.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Resinous matter dissolved in a liquid and spread over a surface to give it a hard, shining coat (1341–42 in the OED; 1358 in Barnhart).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, “a specious gloss or outward show, a pretence”, is recorded from 1565.^[7][3][4] The verb, “to coat with varnish”, dates from the late 14th century,^[7][3][4] and “to gloss over, to disguise” from 1571.^[7] The varnishing day before an art exhibition, on which painters could retouch or varnish their hung pictures, dates from the early 19th century (the Royal Academy, 1809).^[4]

Timeline

• 1341–42 – a resinous coating.^[7]
• c. 1390 – verb, to coat with varnish.^[3][7]
• 1565 – a specious gloss, a pretence.^[7][3][4]
• 1571 – verb, to gloss over.^[7]
• 1809 – varnishing day.^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A liquid of resin dissolved in oil, alcohol or another solvent, which dries to a hard, glossy, transparent coating.
2. The smooth glossy coating produced by such a liquid; anything resembling it.
3. A deceptively attractive outward appearance; a gloss.
4. (chiefly British) Nail polish.

Verb

1. To cover with varnish.
2. To give a smooth, glossy finish to.
3. To give a deceptively attractive appearance to; to gloss over.

Word family

• varnisher
• nail varnish

Related words

• lacquer
• shellac
• gloss
• veneer

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press