turpentine
/ˈtəːp(ə)ntʌɪn
/noun
1 (also oil of turpentine) [mass noun] A volatile pungent oil distilled from gum turpentine or pine wood, used in mixing paints and varnishes and in liniment.When drilling in glass, always use oil of turpentine with a little camphor to lubricate the wire-drill....
- To perform this experiment a little oil of turpentine was placed at the bottom of a glass tube surrounded with boiling liquid air.
- They'll sniff, claw, sample or rub aromatic wood - such as cedar or pine - and petroleum products - such as tarpaper, paint, turpentine, kerosene and charcoal lighting fluid.
1.1 (also crude turpentine or gum turpentine) An oleoresin secreted by certain trees, especially pines, and distilled to make rosin and oil of turpentine.Basically cleaning oiled wood requires you blend: 1 pint boiled linseed oil, 1 pint gum turpentine, and 6 oz. distilled white vinegar....
- Using melted beeswax and gum turpentine, Green brings his paint to a buttery consistency and applies it with a squeegee.
2 (also turpentine tree) Any of a number of trees which yield turpentine or a similar resin, in particular:
- A coniferous tree of the pine family (Larix, Pinus, and other genera, family Pinaceae). The terebinth..
- The area is famous for its turpentine trees, the sap of which is used in candy making, and the leaf in making tea.
verb [with object]
Apply turpentine to: antique turpentining equipment...
- These old sentinels have witnessed droughts, hurricanes, logging, turpentining, and development across the river.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French ter(e)bentine, from Latin ter(e)binthina (resina) '(resin) of the turpentine tree', from terebinthus (see terebinth).