shellac
/ʃəˈlæk/ noun, verb
Forms shellacs shellacking shellacked
- noun A processed secretion of the lac insect, Coccus lacca; used in polishes, varnishes etc.
- noun (informal, US) A beating; a thrashing.
- verb (transitive) To coat with shellac.
- verb (informal, US, transitive) To beat; to thrash.
- verb (informal, US, transitive) To inflict a heavy defeat upon.
Synonyms
Etymology
From shell + lac, calque of French laque en écailles (literally “lac in scales/shells”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Shell + lac a resinous substance; cf. D. shellak, G. schellack.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “shellac”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details