shellac

[shuh-lak] /ʃəˈlæk/
noun
1.
lac that has been purified and formed into thin sheets, used for making varnish.
2.
a varnish (shellac varnish) made by dissolving this material in alcohol or a similar solvent.
3.
a phonograph record made of a breakable material containing shellac, especially one to be played at 78 r.p.m.:
an LP that can hold nearly 10 times as much as the old shellac.
verb (used with object), shellacked, shellacking.
4.
to coat or treat with shellac.
5.
Slang.
  1. to defeat; trounce.
  2. to thrash soundly.
Also, shellack.
Origin
1705-15; shell + lac1, translation of French laque en écailles lac in thin plates
British Dictionary definitions for shellack

shellac

/ʃəˈlæk; ˈʃɛlæk/
noun
1.
a yellowish resin secreted by the lac insect, esp a commercial preparation of this used in varnishes, polishes, and leather dressings
2.
Also called shellac varnish. a varnish made by dissolving shellac in ethanol or a similar solvent
3.
a gramophone record based on shellac
verb (transitive) -lacs, -lacking, -lacked
4.
to coat or treat (an article) with a shellac varnish
5.
(US, slang) to defeat completely
Derived Forms
shellacker, noun
Word Origin
C18: shell + lac1, translation of French laque en écailles, literally: lac in scales, that is, in thin plates
Word Origin and History for shellack

shellac

n.

1713, from shell (n.) + lac (see lacquer). Translates French laque en écailles "lac in thin plates."

v.

1876, from shellack (n.). The slang sense of "beat soundly" is 1920s, perhaps from the notion of shellac as a "finish." Shellacked "drunk" is from 1922 (cf. plastered). Related: Shellacking.

Slang definitions & phrases for shellack

shellac

verb

To defeat decisively; trounce; clobber: The Giants were shellacked again Monday

[1930+ Sports; perhaps fr the use of shellac as a finish]


Encyclopedia Article for shellack

shellac

commercial resin marketed in the form of amber flakes, made from the secretions of the lac insect, a tiny scale insect, Laccifer lacca (see lac). Shellac is a natural thermoplastic; that is, a material that is soft and flows under pressure when heated but becomes rigid at room temperature. This property makes it useful either by itself or in combination with such fillers as flaked mica and asbestos in manufactured molding compositions, used for producing molded articles such as buttons

Learn more about shellac with a free trial on Britannica.com