Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A private showing held before the opening of an art exhibition.
Wiktionary
- n. A private viewing of an art exhibition before it opens to the public.
Etymologies
- From French vernissage, derived from the earlier habit of the artists to varnish their paintings the day before the opening of an exhibition. (Wiktionary)
- French, from vernis, varnish, from Old French; see varnish. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Listen to the French word vernissage and the example sentence, below: Download vernissage. wav.”
“Listen to the French word vernissage and the example sentence, below: Download vernissage.wav .”
“The vernissage is the 23rd from 7 to 10 p.m. Call 514-695-8249.”
“A surprise for you today: a veritable "vernissage" by artist Warren”
“Throughout the year, every student participates in one or more stage productions and presents his or her work of art in a vernissage an exhibition.”
The Huffington Post: C. M. Rubin: The Global Search for Education: More from Norway
“The teachers try to finish each period with a performance, a common meal, a vernissage, and they often invite the parents to these events.”
The Huffington Post: C. M. Rubin: The Global Search for Education: More from Norway
“Usually the Biennale is like a UFO which has landed in Venice from the outside," she declared at the press conference for the vernissage on Wednesday.”
“Personally I would buy one of the paintings if she can arrange a vernissage.”
Global Voices in English » Libya: Women, Writers and Artists
“See all twelve "oeuvres," and don't forget to vote for your favorite watercolor. vernissage (ver-nee-sazh) noun, masculine”
“I hope you will enjoy the side-by-side painting/photo vernissage.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘vernissage’.
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phrontistery-v
from phrontistery.info
vaccary, vaccimulgence, vaccine, vacillate, vadelect, vade-mecum, vadimony, vadose, vafrous, vagient, vagile, vagility and 396 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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O So Zhinsky!
zarf, liripipe, theandric, tazza, bobeche, autotelic, gonfalon, refulgent, crepuscular, caduceus, knop, labarum and 46 more...
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Sage advice
sage, sage advice, usage, sagebrush, passage, embassage, message, presage, Seven Sages of Rome, runer, massage, corsage and 48 more...
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Loan words from French
gite, coq au vin, dernier cri, clique, hors d'œuvre, touché, naïve, coquette, bourgeois, contretemps, flâneur, film noir and 63 more...
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Tip-Top Toponymic
Place names that have entered general speech. Toponyms that interest me in other ways are on Place Names Of Distinction
hamburger, wiener, finlandisation, vernissage, hackney, venetians, bohemian, anti-macassar, berliner, cravat, calico, serendipity and 113 more...
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Brinstar's Words
cobalt, obfuscate, archon, wii, sniper, arcane, celerity, visage, auspicious, ether, epidemic, lich and 138 more...
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French words in German language
words and phrases with french background commonly used in the german language, so-called "Gallizismen"
trottoir, paravent, rayon, perron, fauteuil, garage, arrangement, etablissement, portemonnaie, parterre, coupé, voliere and 123 more...
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sionnach's Words
contumely, fomite, holmgang, poltroon, eleemosynary, obsidian, nugatory, grindcore, felch, recrudescent, pyx, parenteral and 3271 more...
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envelopingshadow's Words
denouement, kitsch, acrimonious, macabre, anachronism, atavism, ennui, parse, lugubrious, holism, brusque, commiserate and 164 more...
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Collage's Words
subtle, calamity, impale, qat, painterly, piebald, surly, nihilistic, repine, slake, larder, sepulchre and 349 more...
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Clearinghouse
For stuff to simply reside.
calcar, pinion, espadrille, antipodes, peregrine, cormorant, tanager, vireo, farrago, undervest, passerine, oscine and 881 more...
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Art Terms
mannerism, nonrepresentational, pointillism, serigraph, alla prima, trompe l'oeil, assemblage, arabesque, polychromatic, naive art, lumina, impasto and 104 more...
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2008 Wordlist
Hopefully, I'll be using this site for more than one year. It will be fun then to look back and see what new words I found worthy of notice in any given year.
All words spotted in 2008...longanimity, permalancer, breeder, biodegradable, handicapable, gender-neutral, translator, interpreter, translation, interpreting, kleptocracy, fanfiction and 1598 more...
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Specific
philtrum, subitize, agelast, abderian, tyro, zenocratically, logorrhea, aceldama, micawber, foyer, hircine, losel and 95 more...
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new acquisitions
found in the wild (i.e., not on Wordie!)
samara, indehiscent, paschal, rogation, wen, rete, diriment, epicene, duramen, euhemerism, objurgate, canaille and 429 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for vernissage.

logosagogo 'Vernis' is French for 'varnish'. Oil paintings were (and still are, I think) protected by a coat of varnish. Folkloric-ly, this would take place in the last-minute rush, just before an opening, leading to the 'preview' of a collection being the 'varnishing'. Presumably with the artists friends pitching in. Jul 16, 2008
whichbe A private showing or preview of an art collection. May 11, 2008