shellac

shel·lac

also shel·lack (shə-lăk′)

n.

1. A purified lac in the form of thin yellow or orange flakes, often bleached white and widely used in varnishes, paints, inks, sealants, and formerly in phonograph records.

2. A thin varnish made by dissolving this substance in denatured alcohol, used to finish wood.

3. An old phonograph record containing this substance, typically played at 78 rpm.

tr.v. shel·lacked, shel·lack·ing, shel·lacs also shel·lacked or shel·lack·ing or shel·lacks

1. To coat or finish with shellac.

2. Slang

a. To strike repeatedly and severely; batter.

b. To defeat decisively.

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[shel(l) + lac (translation of French laque en écailles, lac in thin plates).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

shellac

or

shellack

n

1. (Elements & Compounds) a yellowish resin secreted by the lac insect, esp a commercial preparation of this used in varnishes, polishes, and leather dressings

2. (Elements & Compounds) Also called: shellac varnish a varnish made by dissolving shellac in ethanol or a similar solvent

3. a gramophone record based on shellac

vb (tr) , -lacs, -lacking or -lacked

4. to coat or treat (an article) with a shellac varnish

5. slang US to defeat completely

[C18: shell + lac¹, translation of French laque en écailles, literally: lac in scales, that is, in thin plates]

shelˈlacker n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

shel•lac

or shel•lack

(ʃəˈlæk)

n.

1. lac that has been purified and formed into thin sheets, used for making varnish.

2. a varnish made by dissolving this material in alcohol or a similar solvent.

3. a phonograph record made of a breakable material containing shellac, esp. one played at 78 r.p.m.

v.t.

4. to coat or treat with shellac.

5. Slang.

a. to defeat; trounce.

b. to thrash soundly.

[1705–15; translation of French laque en écailles lac in thin plates]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

shellac

Past participle: shellacked
Gerund: shellacking

Imperative

shellac

shellac

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	shellac - lac purified by heating and filtering; usually in thin orange or yellow flakes but sometimes bleached white lac - resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects; used in e.g. varnishes and sealing wax stick lac - lac in its natural state as scraped off twigs and dried
	2.	shellac - a thin varnish made by dissolving lac in ethanol; used to finish wood shellac varnish French polish shellac, French polish - a varnish for wood consisting of shellac dissolved in alcohol varnish - a coating that provides a hard, lustrous, transparent finish to a surface lac - resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects; used in e.g. varnishes and sealing wax
Verb	1.	shellac - cover with shellac; "She wanted to shellac the desk to protect it from water spots" shellack varnish, seal - cover with varnish

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

shellac

verb

Slang. To render totally ineffective by decisive defeat:

annihilate, crush, drub, overpower, overwhelm, smash, steamroller, thrash, trounce, vanquish.

Informal: massacre, wallop.

Slang: clobber, cream, smear.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

Schellack

lakatasellakka

gommalacca

schellack

shellac

[ʃəˈlæk] N → goma f (laca f)

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

shellac

[ʃəˈlæk ˈʃɛlæk] n (= varnish) → gomme-laque f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

shellac

vb: pret, ptp <shellacked>

n → Schellack m

vt

(= varnish) → mit Schellack behandeln

(US sl: = defeat utterly) → fertigmachen (inf); (= beat) → vermöbeln (inf); to get a shellacking → eins auf die Schnauze kriegen (inf); (= beating also) → eine Tracht Prügel kriegen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007