drying oil
- noun
- /ˈdraɪɪŋ ɔɪl/
- Specialized
:
aceite secante
- A drying oil like walnut oil can provide a durable finish for your wooden furniture.
Examples
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I believe—and I may be wrong—that it is classified as a "drying oil"—an oil that doesn't moisturize well.
Blog text (23) -
Artists often choose linseed as their preferred drying oil because it enhances the luminosity of the paint.
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When mixed with pigments, a drying oil creates a paint that dries hard and glossy.
Synonyms
A yellow oil from tung tree seeds that dries quickly and protects wood
A yellow liquid from tung tree seeds that dries quickly and protects wood
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an oil that hardens or causes drying' is directly and compositionally derived from 'dry' (to remove moisture / to become dry) + 'oil' — the participial modifier 'drying' signals an oil that dries or is used for drying, the same pattern as 'cooking oil' or 'cleaning fluid'. This is a transparent, cross-linguistically common modifier+noun construction, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would very likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Drying oil gives a clear picture: drying means 'becoming hard' and oil is a liquid. Painters used these oils because they turn into a hard layer when they meet air, so the name means an oil that 'hardens' when it meets air.