Japan Definition

jə-păn
japanned, japanning, japans
noun
A lacquer or varnish giving a hard, glossy finish.
Webster's New World
A liquid mixture used as a paint drier.
Webster's New World
Objects decorated and lacquered in the Japanese style.
Webster's New World

A hard black enamel varnish containing asphalt.

Wiktionary
Synonyms:
  • nihon
  • nippon
  • Japanese Archipelago
  • Japanese Islands
  • the Land of Cherry Blossoms
  • the Flowery Kingdom
  • the Land of the Rising Sun
  • Great Nihon
  • Dai Nihon
  • yamato
  • zipangu
  • Japanese Empire
  • the Island Kingdom
verb
To varnish or lacquer with or as with japan.
Webster's New World
To coat with a glossy finish.
American Heritage
pronoun

An island nation in the Pacific Ocean, located to the east of China, Korea and Russia.

Wiktionary

Origin of Japan

  • Although the earliest form of "Japan" in Europe was Marco Polo's "Chipangu", the first recorded form in English was in a letter dated February 19, 1565 (published 1577), spelt “Giapan”. “Of the Ilande of Giapan”, by Luīs Fróis (a Portuguese Jesuit missionary in Japan), published in Richard Willes, “The History of Travayle in the West and East Indies” (London 1577), cited in “Travel Narratives from the Age of Discovery”, by Peter C. Mancall, pp. 156–57.

    From Wiktionary

  • From Dutch Japan or Portuguese Japão, from Malay Jepang, from Sinitic 日本 (Middle Chinese nyit-pwón < Old Chinese *nit-pˁənʔ) (compare Cantonese Yat6-bun2 日本, Korean Ilbon 일본, Japanese Nippon にっぽん, Mandarin Rìběn 日本, Vietnamese Nhật Bản).

    From Wiktionary

  • From Japan, due to this varnishing process being an imitation of oriental (East Asian) processes.

    From Wiktionary

  • After Japan

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to japan using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

japan