What is the Latin word for varnish?

The usual Latin words for “varnish” are vernīx, fūcus, colōrō; also fūcō, quīnque. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“varnish” in Latin

vernīxvarnish; resin fūcusseaweed; orchil, orchella weed, Roccella tinctoria; red dye derived from it; (in general) dyestuff; rouge colōrōto color, tinge, imbue; to paint, dye fūcōto colour, paint, dye; to embellish, dissemble, falsify quīnquefive; 5

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

varnish s.

PROP., *vernix: atramentum tenue (a vanish of dark color, for putting on paintings; Plin., 35, 10, 36, No. 18).

Figuratively, fucus.

varnish v.

PROP., *vernice illinere. To vanish a picture, atramento tenui tabulam illinere.

Figuratively, To cover with a pretext or false appearance, rem colorare nomine aliquo (by a pretext, Val. Max., 8, 2, 2): rem involucris tegere et quasi velis obtendere; also, velare rem only. Varnished, coloratus (with a fair color or appearance); fucatus (with a deceptive dye). Phrases in COLOR, v.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for varnish?: The usual Latin words for “varnish” are vernīx, fūcus, colōrō; also fūcō, quīnque. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.