rottenstone

1 9.9

A soft stone powder used to polish wood or metal

noun
/ˈrɑːtənˌstoʊn/

Specialized

: roca de pulir

Cabinetmakers often rely on rottenstone for the final buffing of fine furniture.

Examples

You can polish metal surfaces to a high sheen using rottenstone mixed with oil.
After sanding the wood, she applied rottenstone to achieve a glass-smooth finish.
The artisan used rottenstone to polish the antique furniture.
Can you buy some rottenstone for the restoration project?
To achieve a smooth finish on the tabletop, he used rottenstone as a polishing abrasive.
The woodworker recommended applying rottenstone to enhance the shine of the finished surface.
After sanding the surface, she carefully polished it with rottenstone to achieve the desired gloss.

Synonyms

tripoli

vsrottenstone

Specialized

9.9

A soft powder used to polish metal and jewelry

is presented as the soft porous material itself rather than only its powdered use

Surface Forms

rottenstone singular

rottenstones plural

Morphology

rottenstone = rotten + stone (semi-transparent) = rotten + stone

The components 'rotten' + 'stone' transparently indicate weathered or crumbling rock, but the specific technical sense 'a powdered abrasive used for polishing' is a specialised lexicalisation not obvious to all learners.

Etymology

The word rottenstone comes from rotten meaning 'decayed' and stone, because this rock has been broken down and crumbles easily into a soft powder. That is why rottenstone is used as a fine polishing powder to make wood and metal shine.