Word of the Day
8 July 2026
japanning
nounCarpentry
A European technique of creating lacquerware in imitation of the traditional Japanese style.
Why this one
Named for the goods it copied: European shops could not source Asian lacquer, so they built up tinted varnish and baked it hard instead. The word survives mostly on hardware, where japanned black on cast iron plane bodies and hinges is still the trade term.
In use
The japanning's flaked off round the mouth, but the sole's true, so I'd rather keep this one than buy a new plane.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.Sources
- Definition sourceWiktionary