resin

¹

[rez-in]

noun

1. any of a class of nonvolatile, solid or semisolid organic substances, as copal or mastic, that consist of amorphous mixtures of carboxylic acids and are obtained directly from certain plants as exudations or prepared by polymerization of simple molecules: used in medicine and in the making of varnishes and plastics.

2. Also a substance of this type obtained from certain pines.

verb (used with object)

1. to treat or rub with resin.

Resin

²

[rez-in]

noun

1. a male given name.

resin

/ ˈrɛzɪn /

noun

1. any of a group of solid or semisolid amorphous compounds that are obtained directly from certain plants as exudations. They are used in medicine and in varnishes

2. any of a large number of synthetic, usually organic, materials that have a polymeric structure, esp such a substance in a raw state before it is moulded or treated with plasticizer, stabilizer, filler, etc Compare plastic

verb

1. (tr) to treat or coat with resin

resin

1. Any of numerous clear or translucent, yellowish or brownish substances that ooze from certain trees and plants. Resins are used in products such as varnishes, lacquers, adhesives, plastics, and drugs. Balsam is a resin.

2. Any of various artificial substances, such as polyurethane, that have similar properties to natural resins and are used to make plastics.

Other Word Forms

• resinously adverb
• resinous adjective
• resinousness noun
• resinlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of resin¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French resine, from Latin rēsīna, probably from a non-Indo-European language; compare Greek rhētī́nē “pine resin,” from a related source

Word History and Origins

Origin of resin¹

C14: from Old French resine , from Latin rēsīna , from Greek rhētinē resin from a pine

Example Sentences

When trees are infested with a few thousand beetles they can cope, using resin to flush the beetles out.

From BBC

The others include rules governing mercury and air toxics; polymers and resins; rubber tires; copper smelting; and coal power, among others.

From Los Angeles Times

On Chios, an intense wildfire in 2012 wiped out more than half of the island's iconic mastic - a tree resin used in cooking and pharmaceuticals - disrupting the global supply of the so-called "tears of Chios".

From BBC

Restoring a Rothko painting is a difficult task because "Rothko's mixture of pigments and resins and glues were quite complex", Mr Helm said.

From BBC

"Pine trees contain resin, which acts like oil, intensifying fires when ignited. This resin causes wildfires to burn faster, stronger, and longer," said Lee Byung-doo from the National Institute of Forest Science in Seoul.

From BBC

Related Words

• paste 
• wax