varnish

From Middle English vernisch, from Old French vernis, from Medieval Latin vernix, veronix, from Byzantine Greek Βερενίκη (Bereníkē, “Berenice”), a town in Cyrenaica.

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varnish (countable and uncountable, plural varnishes)

1. A type of paint with a solvent that evaporates to leave a hard, transparent, glossy film.
2. Anything resembling such a paint; glossy appearance.
   • Macaulay

     the varnish of the holly and ivy

3. (by extension) A deceptively showy appearance.
   • Shakespeare

     And set a double varnish on the fame / The Frenchman gave you.

4. (rail transport, US, informal, dated) a passenger train, probably derived from the varnished passenger cars used at one time.
   • 1959, "Steam's Finest Hour" edited by David P. Morgan, Kalmbach Publishing Co.

     Every transcontinental but two settled on the simple articulated for freight service, and all of them coupled their varnish to the 4-8-4.

varnish (third-person singular simple present varnishes, present participle varnishing, simple past and past participle varnished)

1. (intransitive) To apply varnish.
2. (transitive) To cover up with varnish.
3. (transitive) To gloss over a defect.

• Harvins, hrivnas

Borrowed from English varnish.

varnish f (genitive singular varnish, plural varnishyn)

1. varnish

• lossanagh

• varnish ingney (“nail varnish”)