copal
- noun
- /ˈkoʊpəl/
- Specialized
:
copal
- And then they would take a ball of copal resin and put in the mouth of the serpent lighted on fire.
Examples
-
If you go and see the earth, you shouldn't pray because the earth doesn't like prayers, doesn't want candles, copal, or anything, because they are bad.
Academic text (2008) -
Most carvings are made from copal, a light wood that is easily cut when wet and hard after drying.
Academic text (2000) -
As millions of years passed, the resin continued to harden, becoming first copal and, finally, amber.
Academic text (2006) -
A corner cabinet is filled with items that indigenous people might burn for ritual purposes: cedar, sage, and copal.
Academic text (2004) -
Meanwhile, the homeowner lit incense made from copal and sprinkled holy water on the house's four corners and the yard, starting with the right corner (these activities are all related to the social space).
Academic text (2008) -
Moreover, the copal, the holy water, and the right (the first corner in which the incense was used) are all anathema to the Baatsik and consecrate the site as a space beyond their reach.
Academic text (2008) -
Claude found himself surrounded by oak galls, Congolese copal, rabbit-skin glue, cashew-nut paint, and licorice.
Fiction book (1992) -
When the artist finished painting, she used a brush to add a layer of copal varnish for a glossy finish.
-
During the ceremony, the participants burned copal to cleanse the space and invite positive energy.
-
The aroma of copal filled the room as the incense slowly burned, creating a tranquil atmosphere.
Compounds
- Specialized
A sticky natural substance from the courbaril tree used to make varnish and glue
- New Zealand
A hard, sticky material from old New Zealand kauri trees that people use to make varnish
- Specialized
A hard yellow resin from East African trees used to make varnish and lacquer
How Fossilized
Surface Forms
Etymology
Copal comes from the Nahuatl word copalli, which means 'incense' or 'something for burning'. So, copal is a tree resin people burned as incense and still use for varnish and lacquer, which explains its fragrant smell and hard, shiny finish.