shellac
pronunciation
How to pronounce shellac in British English:
UK [ʃəˈlæk]
How to pronounce shellac in American English:
US [ʃəˈlæk]
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- Noun:
- lac purified by heating and filtering; usually in thin orange or yellow flakes but sometimes bleached white
- a thin varnish made by dissolving lac in ethanol; used to finish wood
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- Verb:
- cover with shellac
Word Origin
- shellac (n.)
- 1713, from shell (n.) + lac (see lacquer). Translates French laque en écailles "lac in thin plates."
- shellac (v.)
- 1876, from shellack (n.). The slang sense of "beat soundly" is 1920s, perhaps from the notion of shellac as a "finish." Shellacked "drunk" is from 1922 (compare plastered). Related: Shellacking.
Example
- 1. Orange shellac and other indian lacs for electrical insulation .
- 2. The most common finishes are shellac , lacquer , varnish and oil .
- 3. When electrification began in earnest in the first years of the century , demand for shellac soon outstripped supply .
- 4. Cnd shellac uv gel polish hollywood !