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Glite Dictionary
colophony

colophony

9.9
A hard clear sticky substance from pine trees used on violin bows and in varnish
  • noun
  • /ˈkɒləfəni/
  • Specialized
: colofonia
  • Without colophony, the bow would not grip the strings properly.

Examples

  • The violinist applied colophony to her bow before the concert began.

  • The artist used colophony to create a unique texture.

  • Many varnishes are made using colophony as a primary ingredient.

  • Many varnishes contain colophony for added durability.

  • The artist added colophony to her varnish to enhance the finish of the painting.

  • Colophony is often used by violinists to increase friction on their bows.

  • The chemist explained that colophony, a resin from pine trees, is used in various industrial applications.

Surface Forms

colophony singular
colophonies plural

Morphology

colophony = colophon (opaque) = colophon + y

Although formally analyzable as 'colophon' + '-y', the meaning 'a resin' is not predictable from the modern sense of 'colophon' and relies on an obscure place-name derivation.

Etymology

The word colophony comes from the ancient town Colophon, where people long ago made a sticky 'resin' from pine trees. So, colophony today means that sticky substance used in varnishes and on violin bows to help the bow 'grip' the strings.