turpentine
/'tə:pəntain/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A volatile, pungent oil: A thin, strong-smelling liquid obtained by distilling the resin (oleoresin) of certain pine trees and other conifers. It is used primarily as a solvent to thin oil-based paints, as a cleaning agent, and historically in some medicinal preparations.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- The painter used turpentine to clean his brushes.
- The strong smell of turpentine filled the artist's studio.
- Historically, turpentine was sometimes applied as a topical remedy.
Advanced Usage
- "Gum turpentine" or "spirit of turpentine": Specific terms for the distilled liquid, distinguishing it from the raw pine resin or other related products.
- True gum turpentine is obtained by steam distillation.
Variants and Related Words
- Turpentine (verb): To treat or smear with turpentine. (This usage is rare).
- Turpentine State: A historical nickname for the U.S. state of North Carolina, due to its once-significant production of tar, pitch, and turpentine from its pine forests.
- Turpentining (gerund/noun): The process of extracting crude turpentine from trees.
Synonyms
- Solvent: A substance that dissolves another (turpentine is a type of solvent).
- Thinner: A liquid used to dilute paint (turpentine is a common paint thinner).
- Oleoresin: The natural raw resin from which turpentine is distilled.
Related Phrases
- Mineral turpentine: A petroleum-derived solvent with similar uses but a different chemical composition from true (gum) turpentine. It is also called "white spirit."
- For some cleaning tasks, mineral turpentine is a less expensive alternative.
Noun
- volatile liquid distilled from turpentine oleoresin; used as paint thinner and solvent and medicinally
- obtained from conifers (especially pines)