Skip to main content
rosin

rosin

5 8.1
A hard sticky solid from pine used to help violin bows grip strings
  • noun
  • /ˈrɑːzɪn/
translation icon : resina
  • The violinist applied a light layer of rosin to her bow to improve the sound quality.

What's the difference between resin, live resin and rosin?

Examples

  • What a violinist will do is they will draw the bowstrings through a cake of rosin that looks like this.

  • You take the rosin from its container.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Use the yellow rosin, here.

  • Gotta put rosin on your bow.

  • Think this is too much rosin?

  • I got a chunk of rosin for you here.

  • You may rub rosin on my bow.

  • We walk into the studio smelling of rosin dust, coffee, and sweat, and turn on the overhead lights.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • "I wiped the rosin off Lucia's strings with a bandana I keep in her case for that purpose.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Exports included record amounts of cotton bales, planks of lumber, and barrels of rosin, all of which were delivered to the docks to be placed on board by the longshoremen.

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

resin
vsrosin
  • Specialized
26 4.4

A thick sticky substance from plants or made by people for glue and plastic

is a pine-derived form used mainly to increase friction on instrument bows

Compounds

1 8.1

A small bag with powder that pitchers use to make their hands less slippery

Surface Forms

rosin singular
rosins plural

Etymology

Rosin comes from the old Latin word resina, meaning 'resin' or the sticky juice of trees. Because rosin is the dried, hard form of that tree juice, it is the sticky block players and workers use to improve grip and friction.