lacquer

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
lacquer /ˈlakə/

▶noun

• 1 a liquid made of shellac dissolved in alcohol, or of synthetic substances, that dries to form a hard protective coating for wood, metal, etc.

• 2 the sap of the lacquer tree used to varnish wood or other materials.

• 3 decorative wooden ware coated with lacquer.

• 4 a chemical substance sprayed on hair to keep it in place.

▶verb (often as adj. lacquered) coat or spray with lacquer.

– derivatives
lacquerer noun.

– origin C16: from obs. Fr. lacre ‘sealing wax’, from Port. laca (see lac1).