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Definition of varnish verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

varnish

verb
 
/ˈvɑːnɪʃ/
 
/ˈvɑːrnɪʃ/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they varnish
 
/ˈvɑːnɪʃ/
 
/ˈvɑːrnɪʃ/
he / she / it varnishes
 
/ˈvɑːnɪʃɪz/
 
/ˈvɑːrnɪʃɪz/
past simple varnished
 
/ˈvɑːnɪʃt/
 
/ˈvɑːrnɪʃt/
past participle varnished
 
/ˈvɑːnɪʃt/
 
/ˈvɑːrnɪʃt/
-ing form varnishing
 
/ˈvɑːnɪʃɪŋ/
 
/ˈvɑːrnɪʃɪŋ/
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  1. to put varnish on the surface of something
    • varnish something The doors are then stained and varnished.
    • (British English) Josie was sitting at her desk, varnishing her nails.
    • varnish something + noun (British English) Her nails were varnished a brilliant shade of red.
    Topics Buildingsc2
    Oxford Collocations DictionaryVarnish is used with these nouns as the object:
    • nail
    • woodwork
    See full entry
    Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French vernis, from medieval Latin veronix ‘fragrant resin’ or medieval Greek berenikē, probably from Berenice, a town in Cyrenaica, a region of NE Libya.
See varnish in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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