Turpentine Meaning
/ˈtɜː.pənˌtaɪn/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAny oleoresin secreted by the wood or bark of certain trees.
nounA volatile essential oil now obtained from such oleoresin of from the wood of pine trees by steam distillation; a complex mixture of monoterpenes; now used as a solvent and paint thinner.
Sentence Examples
You can clean a paintbrush with turpentine.
Tom's studio smells like turpentine.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After using oil paint she cleaned the brushes with a splash of ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The artist used a little bit of ____ to thin her oil paints and clean her brushes after her long work session today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English terebentyne, terbentyne, turbentine, from Old French terbentine, turbentine, Latin terebinthīna, from terebintha, from Ancient Greek τερεβινθίνη (terebinthínē), from τερεβινθινος (terebinthinos), from τερέβινθος (terébinthos). Related to terpene and terpin; etymologically equivalent to terebinth + -ine.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Turpentine timber was obtained from the forests outside Maryborough and Townsville, and shipped by rail and landing craft to Hayman Island."
— 1954 March, “The Hayman Island Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 207:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
After using oil paint she cleaned the brushes with a splash of ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The artist used a little bit of ____ to thin her oil paints and clean her brushes after her long work session today.