lac|quer

lac|quer «LAK uhr», noun, verb.

–noun.

1. a varnish used to give a coating or shiny appearance to metals, wood, or paper. Lacquers are made in all colors that are commonly found in paints. Lacquer consists of a solution of pale shellac dissolved in alcohol or some other solvent. Other lacquers are made from the resin of a sumac tree of southeast Asia.

2. articles coated with lacquer; lacquerware.

3. Obsolete. lac¹.

–transitive verb.

1. to coat with or as if with lacquer.

2. Slang. to polish; make more presentable: »

the Actors Studio, an organization dedicated to lacquering up-and-coming performers (New York Times).

╂[< Middle French lacre < Portuguese, sealing wax < lacca lac < Arabic lakk < Persian lak lac gum. See related etym. at lake² (Cf. ↑lake), shellac. (Cf. ↑shellac)]

–lac´quer|er, noun.