turpentine
1 of 2noun
tur·pen·tine ˈtər-pən-ˌtīn 
ˈtər-pᵊm-
1
a
: a yellow to brown semifluid oleoresin obtained as an exudate from the terebinth
b
: an oleoresin obtained from various conifers (as some pines and firs)
2
a
: an essential oil obtained from turpentines by distillation and used especially as a solvent and thinner
called also gum turpentine
b
: a similar oil obtained by distillation or carbonization of pinewood
called also wood turpentine
turpentine
2 of 2verb
turpentined; turpentining
transitive verb
1
: to apply turpentine to
2
: to extract turpentine from
especially : to tap (pine trees) in order to obtain turpentine
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Aug. 2022 Amid the violence, witnesses recounted seeing airplanes above Greenwood dropping turpentine bombs and bodies being tossed into the muddy Arkansas River or loaded onto trucks or trains. Washington Post, 4 May 2022 It’s like Fred Biletnikoff using so much Stickum that equipment managers had to wash his uniforms in turpentine. Greg Moore, The Arizona Republic, 2 Feb. 2022 Many of the pupils who went to school there were the children of people who worked hard picking oranges or harvesting turpentine in rural Lake County. Joy Wallace Dickinson, orlandosentinel.com, 5 Dec. 2021 Whistler, the restless innovator, explores the possibilities of paint in a row of four small experimental seascapes (1896 to c. 1901) on panel, created with pigments thinned by turpentine. Judith H. Dobrzynski, WSJ, 17 Dec. 2021 Or the raucous banquets with Communist Party officials every night, the kind with free-flowing mao-tai — a clear, fermented sorghum liquor that tastes like sweet turpentine. Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2021 Like, some people might bulk buy paper towels or toilet paper, or turpentine . . . New York Times, 8 Nov. 2021 The area also contains a storied history as home to Seminole Indians before serving the turpentine and logging industries. Patrick Connolly, orlandosentinel.com, 15 Oct. 2021 See More
Noun
In modern times, retsina has gotten a bad rap as cheap swill with overpowering notes of turpentine and paint thinner. Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Aug. 2022 Amid the violence, witnesses recounted seeing airplanes above Greenwood dropping turpentine bombs and bodies being tossed into the muddy Arkansas River or loaded onto trucks or trains. Washington Post, 4 May 2022 It’s like Fred Biletnikoff using so much Stickum that equipment managers had to wash his uniforms in turpentine. Greg Moore, The Arizona Republic, 2 Feb. 2022 Many of the pupils who went to school there were the children of people who worked hard picking oranges or harvesting turpentine in rural Lake County. Joy Wallace Dickinson, orlandosentinel.com, 5 Dec. 2021 Whistler, the restless innovator, explores the possibilities of paint in a row of four small experimental seascapes (1896 to c. 1901) on panel, created with pigments thinned by turpentine. Judith H. Dobrzynski, WSJ, 17 Dec. 2021 Or the raucous banquets with Communist Party officials every night, the kind with free-flowing mao-tai — a clear, fermented sorghum liquor that tastes like sweet turpentine. Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2021 Like, some people might bulk buy paper towels or toilet paper, or turpentine . . . New York Times, 8 Nov. 2021 The area also contains a storied history as home to Seminole Indians before serving the turpentine and logging industries. Patrick Connolly, orlandosentinel.com, 15 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English terbentyne, turpentyne, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French terebentine, from Medieval Latin terbentina, from Latin terebinthina, feminine of terebinthinus of terebinth, from terebinthus terebinth, from Greek terebinthos
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1759, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing turpentine
Kids Definition
turpentine
noun
tur·pen·tine ˈtər-pən-ˌtīn
: an oil made from resin and used as a solvent and as a paint thinner
Medical Definition
turpentine
noun
tur·pen·tine ˈtər-pən-ˌtīn, ˈtərp-ᵊm-
1
a
: a yellow to brown semifluid oleoresin obtained as an exudate from the terebinth (Pistacia terebinthus) of the sumac family
b
: an oleoresin obtained from various conifers (as some pines and firs)
2
a
: an essential oil obtained from turpentines by distillation and used especially as a solvent and thinner
called also oil of turpentine
b
: a similar oil obtained by distillation or carbonization of pinewood
called also wood turpentine