japan

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a hard, usually dark lacquer or enamel used to give wood or metal a durable glossy finish

   The restorer protected the tray with several thin coats of black japan.

2. 2
   verb

   to coat or decorate an object with japan lacquer

   The workshop japanned the lamp base before fitting its brass burner.

From Japan, because European lacquerware of this kind imitated highly prized Japanese lacquered objects. English developed the material noun and the verb japan in the seventeenth century; the lower-case technical word is distinct from the country name.

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