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veneer

 - 5 dictionary results

ve⋅neer

[vuh-neer]
–noun
1. a thin layer of wood or other material for facing or inlaying wood.
2. any of the thin layers of wood glued together to form plywood.
3. Building Trades. a facing of a certain material applied to a different one or to a type of construction not ordinarily associated with it, as a facing of brick applied to a frame house.
4. a superficially valuable or pleasing appearance: a cruel person with a veneer of kindliness.
–verb (used with object)
5. to overlay or face (wood) with thin sheets of some material, as a fine wood, ivory, or tortoise shell.
6. to face or cover (an object) with any material that is more desirable as a surface material than the basic material of the object; revet.
7. to cement (layers of wood veneer) to form plywood.
8. to give a superficially valuable or pleasing appearance to.

Origin:
1695–1705; earlier fineering, faneering < G Fourni(e)rung, Furni(e)rung, equiv. to furni(e)ren to furnish (< F fournir) + -ung -ing 1


ve⋅neer⋅er, noun


4. façade, front, show, mask, guise.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To veneer
ve·neer   (və-nîr')   
n.  
  1. A thin surface layer, as of finely grained wood, glued to a base of inferior material.

  2. Any of the thin layers glued together to make plywood.

  3. A decorative facing, as of brick.

  4. A deceptive, superficial show; a façade: a veneer of friendliness.

tr.v.   ve·neered, ve·neer·ing, ve·neers
  1. To overlay (a surface) with a thin layer of a fine or decorative material.

  2. To glue together (layers of wood) to make plywood.

  3. To conceal, as something common or crude, with a deceptively attractive outward show.


[Alteration of obsolete faneering, from German Furnierung, from furnieren, to furnish, veneer, from French fournir, to furnish, from Old French furnir, of Germanic origin; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
ve·neer'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

veneer 
1702, from Ger. Furnier, from furnieren "to cover with a veneer, inlay," from Fr. fournir "to furnish, accomplish," from M.Fr. fornir "to furnish," from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. frumjan "to provide;" see furnish). A word batted back and forth from German to French to German. Fig. sense of "mere outward show of some good quality" is attested from 1868. The verb is recorded from 1728.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ve·neer
Pronunciation: v&-'ni(&)r
Function: noun
: a plastic or porcelain coating bonded to the surface of a cosmeticallyimperfect tooth
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

veneer ve·neer (və-nēr')
n.
A layer of tooth-colored material, usually porcelain or acrylic resin, attached to and covering the surface of a metal crown or natural tooth structure.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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