patina

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“
The red oak has the unique reddish golden patina which is unmatched by any other wood.

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Definitions (11)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun See paten.
  2. noun A thin greenish layer, usually basic copper sulfate, that forms on copper or copper alloys, such as bronze, as a result of corrosion.
  3. noun The sheen on any surface, produced by age and use.
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Examples (50)

  • Every room was none the less beautiful in itself; each had acquired the same patina, the same personality. —  Maigret in Society —Georges Simenon—#84
  • There's a saying about patina, among antique dealer illiterati, that 'green is great, black is bosh'. —  dummy 3
  • So when they bought genuine antique bronzes with greenish patina, they thought, oops, wrong colour. —  dummy 3
  • Some antique bronzes Castellani stripped of their genuine patina, and 'restored' them, with more fashionable patinas which museums would more readily buy. —  dummy 3
  • Because: Mr. Obama's benignity and magical patina is his political effectiveness; he'd be a non-starter were he white and so unaccomplished and idealess; and, for all his greatness as an actor, Sidney Poitier's career was built on non-threatening or even magical [African-American] roles -- Homer Smith —  Elections - fresh news by plazoo.com
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This word has been looked up 182 times.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. Medieval Latin, from Latin, plate; see paten.
  2. Italian, from Latin, plate (from the incrustation on ancient metal plates and dishes); see paten.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Latin patina, patena, a broad shallow dish, a pan: see paten, pan.
 

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/ˈpætɪnə/
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