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Glite Dictionary
gum-lac

gum-lac

9.9
A sticky material that insects make in Madagascar and people use for varnish and dye
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : laca de goma
  • Even though gum-lac is considered inferior, it is still useful in producing certain dyes.

Examples

  • The craftsman used gum-lac as a natural varnish for the wooden box.

  • Exporters in Madagascar collect gum-lac from trees infested with lac insects.

  • The artist prefers using gum-lac for his paintings.

  • Many varnishes contain gum-lac as an ingredient.

  • Exporters in Madagascar collect gum-lac from trees infested with lac insects.

  • Many varnishes contain gum-lac as an ingredient.

  • The craftsman used gum-lac as a natural varnish for the wooden box.

Synonyms

lac
vsgum-lac
  • Specialized
23 9.9

A sticky natural substance made by insects used to make varnish, dyes, and sealing wax

is a specific inferior regional variety produced in Madagascar for similar uses
seed lac
vsgum-lac
  • Specialized
9.9

Small dark pieces made by crushing and washing stick resin, used to make shellac

is an inferior regional variety rather than a processed granular material
stick lac
vsgum-lac
  • Indian
9.9

A dried natural resin scraped from twigs before processing

is a specific processed inferior variety rather than raw scraped resin

Surface Forms

gum-lac singular
gum-lacs plural

Morphology

gum-lac = gum + lac (semi-transparent) = gum + lac

Formed by compounding 'gum' and 'lac' which clearly signals a type of lac, but the term is technical and denotes a specific inferior variety not obvious to general learners.

Etymology

Gum-lac comes from gum (a sticky 'resin') plus lac, a word from India for the resin made by tiny insects, seen in words like shellac and lacquer. That's why gum-lac means the insect resin used for varnish and dyes.